Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall
by Ghost of the Dawn
Summary: Now that the Dynasty is gone, the Ronins are free to live their normal teenaged lives, right? Maybe not. And they thought high school was scary... COMPLETE
1. Chapter One: Returning Home

Author's Note: (1-12-12) It has been brought to my attention that this story has lost it's proper formatting somewhere through all the updates on this site. I will attempt to update the chapters one at a time so they won't look like massive blobs of text any more. I do not know how long that will take. In the mean time, this story can always be found on my Ronin Warrior site in the proper, readable format. You can find the link in my profile page.

Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall

By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter One: Returning Home

"Kento, slow down! Kento! Please Kento! Kento, watch out for that-AHH!" The seat belt he wore was the only thing that kept Cye from hitting his head on the roof of the old jeep as Kento made it speed over a large bump. The strap stubbornly held his thin body in place as they were jerked and jounced around.

"You're going to get us killed you MORON!" Cye screamed before his face came inches away from smacking into the dashboard. But once again, the seat belt caught him in time, biting into the skin of his shoulder and leaving a small bruise there.

"Geez Cye, you're such a bawl baby. Where's your sense of fun?" Kento jeered as he flew over another nasty bump.

"Somewhere back there with my breakfast," Cye whimpered as he held onto the door for dear life. "And I am NOT a bawl baby," he added weakly.

Kento glanced as his best friend. He did look a little sickly. Reluctantly, Kento slowed the old vehicle down-but not much. He screeched back onto the main road which led up to their high school.

* * *

Ryo Sanada was sitting casually on top of one of the lunch tables outside. The warm morning breeze teased his thick, raven hair as the early rays of the sun danced in his burning blue eyes. He gazed around sullenly at the few students who were beginning to migrate to the school building. He hadn't meant to get there so early. His first hour teacher, Mrs. Tomiichi had called his grandmother the other night, expressing her "concern" for Ryo's constant tardiness to her class. Teachers were so nosy. And leave it up to Gram to turn ahead every clock in the house by twenty minutes to teach him a lesson. Ryo frowned, she was always doing sneaky things like that. If only once, he could beat her at her own game.

The heavy sound of a roaring engine made Ryo look up from his thoughts. He watched as the other students winced at the approaching sound. But Ryo just grinned, he knew what that noise meant. The ever increasing roaring was accompanied with high pitched squeals as a beat up old jeep pulled into the student parking lot. The sigh of relief from the student body as the engine was killed was almost too loud to ignore. Ryo picked up his bag and walked toward it.

Kento's jeep was an abused old piece of junk-grey green in color. The whole outside of the thing was filthy dirty. It was a wonder he could even see out of all the grunge that caked his windshield. Ryo had ridden in it before. The whole thing squeaked and whined like a tired child whenever you got in or tried to make it do anything. It looked so old and beat up it wouldn't have come as a surprise if the whole thing just suddenly fell apart one day.

But, ugly or not, it was Kento's baby. He had saved up money from working at his parents restaurant and from other jobs to afford it. Kento didn't care if the beast was missing a muffler (and about a hundred other things). None of his other friends owned a set of wheels, so somehow, he figured that made it special.

The passenger side door creaked open, spilling a few discarded pieces of garbage from inside along with a very shaken looking Cye. He crawled weakly out of the vehicle, making little puppy noises and clutching his bag. Kento, on the other hand, jumped out proudly, slamming the door back in place and making the jeep whine again at the treatment.

"Cye, are you okay?" Ryo asked with concern. He was looking a little more pale than usual.

"I am NOT riding with that MANIAC again as long as I live!" he bawled. "I thought we were going to die!"

Ryo looked at Kento with question in his eyes. The huskier boy just dismissed Cye's hysterics with a wave of his hand.

"We just took a short cut is all," he grumbled. "You'd think the little fish boy here could handle a few bumps."

"WHAT? Why I outta..."

"Hey, if it isn't the terror of the town!" Rowen called from a distance, which momentarily made Cye forget his current anger. The blue haired young man was walking with Sage like they did every morning, since they lived fairly close to each other.

"We could hear you coming clear down the block!"

"Honestly Kento," Sage then added. "Must you really insist on parading around in that thing? The noise pollution alone is bad enough. But that junk heap looks like it will fall apart any minute and it's such an eye sore."

"Aww...you guys are just jealous because you don't have any wheels of your own," Kento huffed.

"If they're wheels like that, you can keep them," Rowen retorted.

"Shhh..." Kento berated, petting the jeep lovingly as if it could hear what was being said about it. "Keep it down guys, my baby's sensitive."

"Yeah, and it's also loud, dirty, dangerous..." Cye grinned.

"Hey!" Kento shot. "Watch it or I won't pick you up for school any more."

"Is that a promise," Cye snorted. "You wouldn't catch me dead in that horrible thing ever again."

The brown haired boy turned his back to Kento and sniffed indignantly. But what he couldn't see was that Kento was looking like he was going to wring his Cye's twig-like little neck. But the larger boy paused as a better idea dawned on him. Cye squeaked with protest as Kento suddenly grabbed his best friend by the back of the neck and shoved his face up his armpit. The smaller boy struggled the best he could to get away but he was no match for Kento's iron hard grip. Kento just laughed as he then moved his arm around the circumference of Cye's head and proceeded to bury his knuckles roughly into the brown-haired boy's scalp.

"Kento! Owe! Leggo!" Cye cried as his efforts to free himself proved in vain.

The bell rang and Kento finally loosened his grip enough for Cye to squirm out. Cye, in return, gave Kento a sour stare, his messed up brownish hair now sticking up all over the place.

Rowen tried hard to choke back a laugh. "Cye, you might want to check out a mirror before you head to class."

"Great," Cye mumbled as he hurried out of the parking lot and into the school, one hand on his head.

"I'll go help!" Kento volunteered as he started after his friend.

"You," Sage said, grabbing his collar. "Are coming to class with me."

"Ma-an! You guys never let me have any fun!" Kento whined has he was dragged away by his blonde haired companion.

"See ya later Rowen," Ryo called to the last member off the group. "I gotta go or I'll be sent up for being tardy again."

"Later," Rowen waved as he continued into the school at a more relaxed pace.

* * *

Ryo burst through the door of his first hour class just as the bell rang.

"Thank you for getting here on time, Mr. Sanada," Mrs. Tomiichi, his teacher, told him sternly.

Ryo shrugged weakly as some of the other students snickered. Even when arriving to school twenty minutes early he still had trouble making it on time. The fiery young man took his seat with a heavy sigh and ran his fingers through his wild, raven hair. What a way to start the morning.

"Now," Mrs. Tomiichi announced. "If you'll all follow me to the lab we'll begin with today's lesson."

All the students got up and moved to the back of the room to the lab which was actually composed of several large tables with sinks in the middle stationed on the title floor. The students, who had been assigned their lab partners the day previous, sat at their respective stations and got to work reading the instructions for their assignment.

Nothing too hard, Ryo thought. They were merely supposed to light the Bunsen burners and determine the boiling points of a few different liquids placed on the tables to use at their disposal. Piece of cake. Ryo donned the required protective eye gear and he and his lab partner got to work.

All was going well so far. Kami, a soft spoken girl with glasses and short dark hair was working with Ryo. They has set the first liquid, a yellowish syrupy substance, into the beaker and were now letting it heat over the burner. Kami turned her attention to the work sheet and was writing down all their data while Ryo stirred the thermometer in the beaker with little interest.

But Ryo's attention was soon captured when he noticed the principal walk in. He was accompanied by a teenage girl Ryo had never seen before. She had light skin and thin, unkept red hair sprouting from her head. Thin strands of it fell haphazardly over large, green eyes and the rest hung lifelessly down her back. She wore loose jeans, dirty grey sneakers and a purple top. A dark blue sweater was tied loosely around her hips which matched the color of the worn, blue book bag she had hanging from her shoulder.

The girl didn't seem particularly thrilled to be there as she stood her distance from the adults. As the two authority figures talked, she took the time to let her eyes wander around the room. She watched all the other students doing their assignments, her eyes not stopping to settle on anyone in particular. Ryo noticed then just how pale her complexion really was. She was quite thin, her clothes all but hanging off her- almost malnourished. Her pasty white face looked as if she was still recuperating from some kind of illness. To sum up, she didn't look at all as healthy as a normal teenager should.

Ryo tried to make it seem like he wasn't looking at her by only stealing quick glances and watching from the corner of his eye. She stood and fidgeted while the principal talked with his teacher. The girl was a new student no doubt. Possibly even an exchange student at that, since she didn't look like she came from any place local.

"Ryo, did you bring a calculator?" Kami asked softly.

"Huh?" Ryo asked as he was brought from his thoughts. "Oh yeah, hold on."

He went to retrieve his backpack, only to forget that he was still stirring the now bubbling liquid. The sudden movement of his hand caught on the protruding thermometer and dumped the beaker and its contents over. It seemed like from then on, everything was moving in fast forward. Ryo couldn't really explain what had happened, except that suddenly everything was on fire.

Kami screamed and grabbed her precious books before retreating from the blaze where flames were now lapping at the ceiling. Mrs. Tomiichi screamed as well and ran for the fire extinguisher at the back of the room. The rest of the students were watching the fire dumbly, including Ryo. The flames danced seductively over his face, as if inviting him to come join in their fun. He did not even realize how close to the inferno he was standing until his teacher pulled him away.

"Ryo! Get back!" she ordered as she quickly put the flames out.

The room went dead silent as everyone stared at the foam covered mess that used to be a chemistry lab.

"Mr. Sanada," the booming voice of the principal's broke the quiet. "Come with me please."

Ryo groaned inwardly. He turned, knowing all eyes were on him now and, with a feeling of dread, followed the principal out the door. Nice going Wildfire! Now how am I going to get out of this one?

* * *

The bell sounded at noon for lunch and all the students rushed out of class to eat. Cye and Ryo were walking together out the door, lunch bags hanging from their hands. The sun was shining warm and bright as they stepped out onto the grass. It was too nice a day to eat inside.

"Aw man, Gram packed me the same 'ol thing again," Ryo whined as he pulled out a soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Doesn't she ever get tired of making these? I sure get tired of eating them."

"If you're so tired of it, then why don't you start making your own lunch in the morning Ryo?" Cye questioned pragmatically.

"Because ...I've got better things to do," Ryo defended.

"Plus you're lazy," Cye muttered.

"CYE!"

The loud and excited female voice calling his name was as unmistakable as it was unfamiliar. The brown haired teen turned around, wondering who had called when he was plowed over by some unknown, but still very solid force.

Ryo stood aside as he watched his friend get tackled. Before either of them knew it, Cye was laying in the grass on his back with a light skinned, red haired girl sitting on his chest. Before the boys could react, the intruder began talking up a whirl wind in an excited voice.

"Cye, did you miss me? Say yes! Why wouldn't you miss me? I mean, we only haven't seen each other for years and years and it took me forever to find you again and I just barely got here and I've been hunting for you all day and I was beginning to think I was at the wrong school but here you are and here I am and were back together again and it's unbelievable!"

She paused to take a breath and added in a slower, calmer voice. "So, how have you been?"

Cye looked at her for a long time before shaking his head, looking very lost. "Who are you?" he asked.

"WHAT?" the girl climbed off him and stood up. "I can't believe you don't remember me even though I can still pick you out of a crowd by the back of your head."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Cye, it's me. Remember when we were kids?"

Cye studied her hopeful face hard. That scraggly red hair, those high cheek bones, that pointed chin and nose. Nothing, but perhaps a small tickle at the back of his memory. It was her large green eyes, like two limpid pools, that brought everything back in a heartbeat.

"Robyn?" he asked with a not so steady voice.

The girl nodded and bit her lip, trying to tame the grand smile that threatened to over come her face.

"Wow Robyn, is it really you?" Cye breathed in awe. "How on Earth did you-"

"Uh, uh, uh," Robyn wagged a finger at him, cutting him off. "No asking questions until I get a hug." She promptly flung her arms around his neck.

Cye seemed more than happy to return the embrace as he put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. After a moment, he pulled away from her and held her at arms length to get a good look at this once familiar stranger.

"Wow Robyn, I-I can't believe it's you!" Cye stumbled for words. "Look at you! You're...old!"

Robyn snorted. "Gee, thanks a bunch Cye."

"No, I didn't mean that! I mean, you're so different from the way I remembered you."

"Well, you look different, too. Still need a haircut, though," Robyn added playfully as she mussed up his thick mane of hair.

Ryo, who had been watching all this patiently, now wanted to know what was going on. He cleared his throat to get their attention. Cye, who only now seemed to notice him for the first time, finally let go of his female companion and addressed his friend.

"Ryo, this is Robyn, an old friend of mine. We were kids together. Robyn, this is my friend Ryo Sanada."

The girl now established as Robyn took a step towards Ryo to inspect this new friend. He had a gentle face with deep, almost animalistic blue eyes. His wild, black hair was combed, yet still looked untamed. "Right, Pyro-Boy," she grinned at him.

Ryo rubbed the back of his neck as embarrassment suddenly rushed through him. "You saw that, huh?"

"Saw what? What happened?" Cye wanted to know.

"You're friend here attempted to burn down the chemistry lab," Robyn explained with a laugh. But she sobered a little as she turned back to Ryo. "You didn't get burned or anything did you? It looked like you were standing really close to that fire."

"Nah, I'm okay. At least until my grandma finds out what happened."

Robyn gave him a sympathetic look.

"Hey, there you guys are," Kento called loudly as he approached. "I've been looking all over for you. Why didn't you tell me you were going to eat outside?"

Robyn turned as the new boy approached. He was totally opposite what Ryo was. He had a round, boyish face with dark eyes that sparkled with youth. His greyish blue hair was swept out of his face by a head band. He was bulkier than the other two boys. But from what Robyn could see with the thick arms protruding from his T-shirt, a lot of it was muscle.

"We thought you were smart enough to figure it out on your own, guess I was wrong," Cye quipped without even stopping to think of the consequences. By now, belittling everything Kento said was more of a second nature to him.

Before he knew it, Cye was hanging by the front of his shirt like he often did after making similar comments.

"Hey, you wanna repeat of this morning, Fish Boy?"

Robyn was looking more than a little alarmed as the larger boy brandished his fist threateningly in Cye's face. Ryo touched her shoulder to calm her anxiety.

"Don't worry, they're like this all the time."

Kento, at last, noticed the girl Ryo was talking to and dropped Cye, his anger suddenly forgotten. He turned to look at her as a bright smile appeared on his face.

"And who is this?"

Robyn was beginning to understand Kento and Cye's antics and stepped forward smiling. "Hi, I'm Robyn. I'm an old friend of Cye's."

Kento grinned and shook her hand energetically. "I'm Cye's best friend Kento. I hope ya know I'd never hurt the guy. He just needs to be ruffed up every now and again."

"I can see that," Robyn laughed. He looked like he could crush her hand without even a thought, but his grip was gentle. "So this is nice, old best friend meets new best friend."

Cye was giving Kento a crooked frown as he straightened up his shirt and tucked it back in. Kento was still heartily shaking Robyn's hand as if he had never touched a girl in his life.

"Ahem," Cye said, turning the attention back over to himself. "Do you guys mind going on without me? Robyn and I have got some catching up to do."

Robyn snorted. "Now there's the understatement of the week."

Kento looked at Robyn, reluctantly releasing her hand, and then at Cye. "Gee, I dunno. I'd kinda like to-"

"Sure we could," Ryo cut in, grabbing Kento by the arm. "We'll catch ya later, okay Cye? It was nice meeting you Robyn." Kento resisted only slightly as he was pulled away.

Robyn waved as they left. "Well, it's nice to know you've finally made *some* friends," she laughed and elbowed him playfully in the side. "They seem really nice, too. Not too bad looking either," she added as an after thought.

Cye laughed. "Did you come looking for me or looking for a date?"

"Hey, as long as I'm here, I might as well check out the scenery."

"In that case, you'll want to meet my friend Sage. All the girls in this school worship him."

"You mean Sage Date?" Robyn asked.

"Yeah, that's him. Have you met him already?"

"No, but there was all these girls talking about him last hour like he was their personal gift from the gods." Robyn batted her eye lashes and raised the pitch of her voice in mock infatuation. "Oh, Sage Date." She paused to give a high, girlish sigh. "He's so fine. Sage is so sexy. I just want him in that shirt he's wearing you know. I wish Sage would-"

She paused when she noticed the odd look Cye was giving her.

"The guy's standing right behind me, huh?"

Cye gave a tight, apologetic smile and nodded.

"Oh boy," Robyn breathed as she turned around to face her fate. "Hi there." She smiled sweet but guiltily at the young man standing behind her. He was at least a head taller than she with thick, blonde hair that fell over his right eye while the other eye, Robyn noticed, was an unnatural shade of grey violet. "I hope you weren't offended by my little melodrama there."

Sage regarded her placidly. A tight, not completely sincere smile on his face. "Not at all. In fact, I found it quite entertaining."

Robyn laughed nervously and fidgeted under his gaze.

"Oh, in case you're wondering, I'm Cye's friend Robyn." She held out her hand to him in a form of greeting.

Sage only nodded in her direction and addressed Cye. "Have you seen Ryo?"

"Over there," Cye jerked a thumb to where Ryo and Kento were eating lunch under a tree. Sage nodded again and walked away.

"Well, that was nice," Robyn commented as she watched him leave. "I can see why all the girls are ga-ga over him. He's cute. Needs a personality though. But still," She cocked her head to the side. "He's got a nice butt."

Cye made a sound of disapproval and covered her eyes with one hand.

"Cye, what are you doing?" the now blind Robyn heard a new voice ask.

"Hello disembodied voice," she chirped.

"Hey Rowen," Cye greeted.

"Otherwise known as Rowen."

Cye removed his hand so Robyn could see the owner of this new voice known as Rowen. He was the tallest of boys Robyn had met. He had these amazing crystalline blue eyes with, oddly enough, blue hair to match which fell carelessly over his eyes. His face looked calm and collected. It wasn't detached like Sage, but more thoughtful.

"Rowen, this is Robyn. We were friends growing up."

Rowen regarded the fair skinned girl curiously. "Wh-"

"Look, can you just go eat with the others and we'll answer questions later?" Cye pleaded.

Rowen looked from one to the other as he mulled over the proposition. "Yeah, I can do that. I'll see you later."

Cye gave out a long, flustered breath.

"So, was that _The Gang_?" Robyn asked playfully. "Aren't you glad this kind of thing doesn't happen every day?"

"I'd never get anything done," Cye shook his head. Already he was beginning to dread the flood of questions he would be asked later on. "So fill me in Robyn, just how exactly did you manage to get here and, more importantly, how did you find me?"

"Lunch first," Robyn stated. She walked over to the nearest empty table and sat down. Cye sat across from her. "So where's your lunch?" she asked as she started digging through her backpack.

"Well, I used to have one. But I lost it when this large truck with the license plate R-O-B-Y-N hit me." Cye gazed ruefully at the spilled lunch scattered on the grass.

"Oh, sorry," Robyn said guiltily. "I'll share my lunch with you then." She produced a sandwich wrapped in plastic. "Want half? It's tuna fish."

Cye winced. "No thanks. I've got this...thing about sea food."

"You sure? It's dolphin friendly even." She waved it under his nose as if that would change his mind but it only seemed to make Cye's face go pale.

"I'm positive," Cye swallowed as he pushed the sandwich away from him. "Do you have anything else?"

"Let's see..." Robyn rooted around in her backpack some more and produced two more objects. "Just an apple and a Snickers bar. You want?"

"Sold," Cye agreed as he took them and bit into the apple. He chewed the bite and swallowed before talking. "Okay Robyn, now that there are no more interruptions, tell me what's going on."

Robyn chewed on her sandwich thoughtfully, gathering her thoughts. She swallowed and ran her tongue over her front teeth. "I really don't know where to start," she admitted.

"Well, how'd you get here?" Cye offered.

"Plane."

"When did you get here?"

"Just this morning. I was a little late to first hour."

"So you're actually going to school here now?" Cye asked.

"Yeah," Robyn grinned. "Kinda hard to believe, huh?"

"I've been finding this who ordeal pretty unbelievable," Cye admitted.

"Same here. It was your mom you got me all set up, actually." Robyn shook her head. "That woman is amazing. Just when I think I've seen it all, I run into some guy back in the States who says he knows her and that she's been looking for me. And before I know it, I'm saving up for a plane ride to Japan."

Cye took another bite and chewed slowly, letting it all sink in. He had to smile at the persistence of his mother. She was, indeed, quite amazing. He remembered when Robyn had moved away. She had been like part of the family then. It tore them both up to loose her. He should have known that his mother would have never considered the family whole again until they had gotten Robyn back.

"So, you're staying with...?" Cye wondered.

"You guys, of course," Robyn grinned. "Sorry you weren't let in on the plans earlier, but your mom wanted it to be a surprise. So...surprise!"

Cye laughed. "The best surprise I've had in a while, that's for sure."

Robyn just grinned that large, childish grin of hers with eyes squinted and her nose scrunched up. Cye couldn't help but grin back. Now that was a smile he remembered. Robyn had finished her sandwich and Cye was now moving onto the candy bar when the bell rang.

"Torture time again," Robyn sighed as she watched the other students get up and start heading for their classes.

"Your day hasn't been that bad, has it?" Cye asked as he got up.

Robyn shrugged. "Nah, not really. But school can only get so good, ya know?" She gathered up her book bag as they started off for the school building.

"Cye, hold up," Kento called as he jogged up to them. He and Cye shared their fifth period class so they always walked together after lunch. "Hi again," he waved to Robyn.

"Hey," she grinned back and then turned to Cye. "I'd better go. My next class is clear on the other side of campus."

"Okay. If I don't see you again, wait for me in front after school."

"Will do," Robyn called as she headed off at a quickened pace.

Kento watched her retreating backside intently as she skittered off. This day was getting more interesting by the minute.

"So..." Kento said slyly when the girl was out of sight.

"So what?" Cye asked, a bit annoyed at the look on his friend's face.

"Who's this girl you were talking to? What's her story? Where'd she come from?"

Cye could instantly tell what kind of information Kento was probing for. He chose his words very carefully as he explained.

"She's an old friend of the family. Apparently she's moving in with us and going to school here."

Kento frowned, that wasn't exactly the kind of reply he was looking for. He tried again.

"So what's the story between you guys then? Do you like her or what?"

Cye opened his mouth to belt out some loud protest but then shut it again. "I don't have to tell you. Besides, that's none of your business."

Kento paused for a moment as Cye picked up the pace. "We'll see about that," Kento smirked before following after him.

* * *

Robyn found herself getting along pretty good in her new school as the day dragged on. But by seventh hour, she was feeling the affects of the single sandwich lunch she had. With stomach growling, she took the short break before the last period to hunt down a vending machine. She was so hungry, Robyn thought she was going to cry when the snack food of her choice decided to get stuck.

"Ah man!" she whined as she hit her head on the glass. "I just wanted some chips! Is that so much to ask?"

"Apparently," came a male voice subtly laced with humor.

Robyn looked up to see the blonde young man with the violet eyes she had momentarily met earlier. He had his hands shoved in his pockets and a small smile on his face. Robyn returned it with her own crooked grin.

"So, ya going to offer me a little assistance then?"

Sage calmly placed both hands on the side of the vending machine and gave it a shove. It was strong enough to push the thing back on two legs before letting it fall back down again. That was enough to jerk the small bag of chips loose and it fell to the bottom of the machine.

"Woo hoo!" Robyn whooped as she bent over to retrieve her prize. "Yes! Chips chips chips chips! Food of the gods. Thanks!" She then tore the bag open and stuffed a whole chip in her mouth.

"Anytime," Sage nodded and continued down the hall at a leisurely pace, hands shoved back into his pockets.

Robyn grinned at his retreating backside before turning and heading to her own class. Maybe this Sage wasn't that bad after all. And she still thought he had a nice butt. The young redhead hadn't gotten far when a group of about four girls suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her path.

"Hey, we saw what you were doing," growled the tallest girl who was obviously the ring leader of the bunch. She had long, straight black hair and dark, slanted eyes. Her beautiful, flawless face was marred by a hateful sneer.

"What?" Robyn wondered innocently. "What was I doing?"

"Don't act cute with me!" The girl shoved her shoulder to show she wasn't kidding around. "I saw you at lunch and just barely down the hall. You stay away from Sage, he's mine!"

"Oh, he's your boyfriend then?" Robyn asked.

The girl was silent for a moment, as well as her friends. Sage wasn't, in all actuality, anyone's boyfriend. But he had taken her out once before and she had made sure the whole school knew it. She was sure it would only be a matter of time before they would make their relationship official.

"Just stay away from him!" the girl spat. "Not that I'm intimidated by some little foreigner like you. But you'd just better watch your back."

Robyn gave them an odd look as the girls swaggered off, laughing.

"Okaaaayyyy..." Robyn said to herself as she continued off to class.

The rest of her journey remained unprovoked as she reached the desired room and plopped heavily in her chair. She mildly nibbled on a chip as the earlier scene played in her head. She didn't even notice the black haired boy sit down next to her until he tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey," the boy greeted her when she finally noticed him.

"Oh hi," Robyn grinned at the familiar face. "Ryo, right?"

"Yep. Looks like we have a class together."

"Cool. Wanna chip?" she offered the half eaten bag to him.

"Sure!" Ryo eagerly reached for the bag.

"Hey you two, no food in the classrooms," the teacher warned.

Robyn hid the bag under her desk lightning quick and the two tried their best to look innocent.

"Hey Ryo," Robyn whispered after a moment. "Do you know of a girl in this school with straight dark hair, kinda tall, bossy. Walks around with a buncha little wannabes following her around?"

"Miniko Hino," Ryo nodded. "You already had a run in with her, huh?"

Robyn frowned crookedly and nodded.

"She thinks she owns the school but she's really nothing but a snob."

"I think she's got it in for me," Robyn confided as she slipped Ryo a chip under the desk.

Ryo just shrugged as he popped the chip in his mouth. "I wouldn't worry about her, she's all talk."

"I said no food!"

Robyn finally put her chips away as she looked up at the teacher with awe. The thin old woman in the front sitting at her desk wasn't even looking at them.

"How does she do that?" she marveled.

Ryo just shrugged his shoulders and grinned.

* * *

At long last, the final bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Cye, Kento, and Sage were already waiting outside when Ryo and Robyn walked out together.

"Hey guys," Kento waved as they approached.

"Hey," Robyn replied as she covered a huge yawn.

"Tired?" Cye grinned.

"I think the jet lag's getting to me," she admitted as she rubbed her face in a gesture of fatigue. "Are we ready to go yet? I'm about to crash."

"Not yet, we're still waiting for Rowen," Ryo said.

"Mmm, then wake me when we're leaving," Robyn mumbled. She leaned her forehead against Cye's shoulder and tried to go to sleep.

"And there's the little book worm now," Kento grinned as Rowen, true to the title, walked up with his nose stuck in a book.

Robyn made a small whine of protest as Cye started to move.

"Come on sleepy head," he said as he put and arm around her shoulders and pulled her with him.

"So, ya want a ride home Cye?" Kento asked as he twirled his keys around his finger.

"Hey, I'd like t-"

Cye quickly put his hand over Robyn's mouth. "No thanks Kento. I've had my life flash before my eyes enough for one day. We'll take the subway home."

"The subway!" Robyn whined. "I don't wanna take no stinking subway! Come on Cye!"

"Yeah, come on Cye," Kento said, mimicking Robyn's tone.

Cye just shook his head and looked to the sky as if asking the heavens what he had done that was so bad to deserve this. He looked back down at both their hopeful faces.

"Puh-lease?" Robyn begged as she tugged at his arm.

Cye looked into her eyes and his will melted. Somehow he just couldn't say no to that look.

"Fine," he grumbled.

"Oh! Hey Cye," Ryo suddenly called as they started off for the parking lot. "I just remembered, you left your jacket at my place the other night. You wanna go get it real quick or can it wait until tomorrow?"

Cye paused as he remembered the forgotten item. He had received quite a tongue lashing from his mother the previous night for forgetting it. It was a new jacket and a very expensive one at that. He had to go get it sometime. He knew from experience that he could never count on Ryo to remember to bring it to school with him. Not if he wanted to see his jacket within the next month.

"I should probably go get it," he decided.

"Aww...so no ride then?" Robyn asked.

"I wish I could wait for you guys," Kento lamented. "But I promised Ma I'd help out at the restaurant right after school. And you know how she gets when I'm late for something like that."

Cye nodded with a grin. "Well, at least we'll be able to live for another day."

"Not if you stay on the sidewalks," Rowen suddenly spoke up. "I've seen how this guy drives. It's scary."

Robyn laughed as Kento suddenly turned on the blue haired youth.

"Just keep pushing it twinkle toes and you'll be making those comments out of the other side of your face!"

"Oh grow up you two," Sage admonished as he tugged on Rowen's sleeve. "Come on or we'll miss our ride as well." He motioned with his head to the car parked outside the school. It was Sage's dad. He usually picked the two boys up every Tuesday on his way to the family dojo where the two boys had their martial arts lessons taught by Mr. Date himself.

"Later guys," Rowen called as he and Sage trotted off to the car.

"I had better head out, too," Kento announced as they drove away. "Good luck with the subway, see if I offer you a ride again."

Cye just smirked at his retreating friend. He knew all this threats were in good nature. Kento would be in front of his house the next morning, ready to give him another terrifying ride to school.

Robyn's expression was just the opposite as she glared at her long time friend. "We have to take the subway now, don't we?"

"You'll live," Cye grinned.

The remaining three walked to Ryo's house. He was the only one who lived within walking distance of the school. Robyn moved with slow, heavy steps as she fought to stay awake while the boys' foot steps were faster and more alert. The Sanada residence was a small, cheerful two story house with a little yard in the front and a white fence surrounding it. What was not apparent at first sight was that the back yard of the place was much, much larger than the front. Perfect for boys to play in-especially those who owned the kind of pet Ryo did.

The trio passed through the tiny gate and up the walkway to the porch.

"Stay right here and I'll get it," Ryo called as he dashed into the house.

Cye and Robyn stayed by the front door and waited. The later yawned again and leaned tiredly against the wall of the house. Cye rocked back on his heels, hands in his pockets as he waited. Neither of them noticed the large white tiger as it calmly strolled up to them from the back yard.

Ryo was digging through his room, wondering where he had put that jacket of Cye's. He was sure he saw it somewhere. But his room was so messy it was impossible to find anything. And Ryo flinging his stuff around was only making the mess even worse. He stood up straight after he had thoroughly combed the room. Where could it be? Ryo mentally slapped himself when he finally saw the jacket hanging neatly on the doorknob. He had put it there that morning it hopes he wouldn't forget it. Ryo snatched up the jacket and jumped when he heard a shrill cry from somewhere outside.

"Uh oh, sounds like Robyn just met White Blaze," he said to himself as he hurried out of the room.

He dashed down the hall and out the door to come to her aid. But instead of seeing a fear stricken girl like he expected, he saw a calm looking Cye still waiting for him in the doorway. Ryo hastily handed him his jacket and looked around.

"Where's Robyn? White Blaze didn't scare her did he?"

Cye grinned and tossed his head off to the side.

"Oh, you're just a handsome boy, yes you are," Robyn was baby talking the large animal as she rubbed the base of his ears roughly. "I could just hug you all day long. You're just so beautiful. I want to take you home with me, yes I do."

White Blaze purred at the praise and attention. He butted his massive head affectionately against Robyn's shoulder whose small weight was easily pushed over by the tiger's heavier one. She laughed as she fell on the grass and scratched White Blaze around the neck.

"Ryo, you are so lucky! What do you call him?"

"This is White Blaze," Ryo grinned. "I was worried he might have scared you."

"Him scare me? Nah! He's just a big pussy cat." Robyn buried her face in White Blaze's chest fur and happily listened to the dull, deep thrumming of the tiger's purr.

Cye shook his head. "She's always had a thing for cats ever since I've known her."

"And how long is that?" Ryo asked.

"A long time," Cye responded quietly. For the moment he had a far off look in his eyes, but he quickly shook himself back to reality. "I'm going to have a heck of a time pulling her away."

They both glanced back at Robyn who was snuggled against White Blade's side and trying to go to sleep. Cye smiled and shook his head as he approached her.

"Come on Robyn, time to go home," he called sweetly to her.

Robyn moaned and snuggled closer to the warm tiger fur. "Just a few more minutes," she mumbled.

"Get up," Cye said relentlessly as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet.

Robyn whined in protest but tiredly stood up.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride to the subway station."

Robyn perked up momentarily to jump on Cye's back. Ryo waved to them as they left with Robyn riding Cye piggy-back style down the sidewalk.

* * *

Later that evening, Cye found himself in the kitchen with the phone to his ear. Kento was on the other line.

"Right now?" Cye was asking the phone. "Yeah, I can come...Bring Robyn? No, she can't make it. Yeah, she crashed the second we got home." Cye smiled as he peeked in on the sleeping girl who was sprawled out on the couch in the other room. "Yeah, I'll be there in a little while. Bye Kento."

Cye put down the phone and turned to his mother who was cleaning up from dinner.

"Kento's inviting the guys over to his house. Knowing him it's probably just to eat junk food and play video games."

"Alright," Mrs. Mouri replied calmly. "Just be back before it gets too late."

"Okay, bye," Cye grinned and ran out the door.

* * *

True to Cye's estimates, eating junk food and playing video games was exactly what the team ended up doing. Ryo and Cye were sitting on the floor and duking it out on an old ninja fighting game Kento had. Sage was sitting on the couch and idly watching the death match on the screen. Rowen sat next to him, skimming through his school notes while he waited his turn. Kento came in with a tray holding a bowl of chips and drinks for everyone.

"Don't forget, I play the winner," he announced as he set the tray down on the small coffee table.

Sage and Rowen both started on the chips while Cye and Ryo, still engulfed in their fight, hardly noticed it was there. Both pairs of eyes were glued to the TV as their choice warriors spun and jumped and kicked all over the screen. Ryo's warrior was a well muscled shirtless ninja wearing only black gui pants, brandishing two long katanas and several scars over his broad chest. Cye's player was a scantily clad woman dressed in deep purples and a mask over her face. She ducked and jumped elegantly as Cye made her retaliate with the long, metal claws she had on her knuckles. The battle was heated and close. But in the end, Cye won.

"HA!" Cye called in triumph. "I guess all those late night slug fests at Kento's are paying off."

"Hey Ryo, you just got beat by a girl," Rowen snickered.

Ryo gave him a dirty look as he gave up his seat in front of the controller for the next opponent.

"Speaking of girls," Sage suddenly spoke. "Just who was that girl you were hanging around with today Cye?"

"You'd like to know, wouldn't you Sage?" Kento grumbled as he fished out a handful of chips for himself. "You won't rest until every girl in school is following you around like a dog on a leash."

Sage stared coldly at him with his one visible eye. It wasn't his fault girls swooned over him where ever he went. And he wasn't proud about it either. If only Kento understood. There were so many days he wished that, just once, he could walk down the halls in peace without being mobbed by Miniko and her friends or any other group of the usual giggling air heads. But like everyone else, he had learned to deal with what he'd been given and be tolerant of his "gifts".

"I was kind of curious about her myself," Rowen spoke up in Sage's defense. "You've never mentioned her before. Who is she? Where did she come from?"

Cye didn't look at them and just kept staring at the TV. "Well, she was born here. But she had to move away."

It was such a simple answer. But the others could tell right away that the story behind it was far more complex. Cye shifted a little and the other warriors could feel then tension slowly starting to rise from the subject. It seemed that Cye was wrestling with emotions from within himself as what to say next.

"We were just kids then. But she was my best friend. I never thought I'd see her again."

The quietness of his voice left the room sounding dead and hollow. The group sat in an uncomfortable silence before Ryo decided to break it.

"So, who's up next?" he called brightly.

"ME!" Kento pounced on the controller with a piece of licorice hanging out of his mouth. He quickly picked a mean looking, hulk-like bald guy to be his player and the battle was on. The deep feeling in the room seemed to raise instantly as Cye immediately went back to his old, cheerful self and began to play.

The tournament was played best out of three rounds. Cye continued with the same player he had chosen before as they faced off. Both boys were masters of the game and the battle soon erupted into an impressive display of super attacks and blocks at high speeds. Cye had won the first round, but not by much.

_I'll throw him for a loop this next time._ Kento thought determinedly. He had a plan to disrupt Cye's concentration and he was going to use it.

The second match started and the two players were soon at it again.

"So what's the deal with you and this Robyn girl now?" Kento asked as they played.

"What do you mean?" Cye never moved his eyes from the game as he spoke.

"Well, she pops in suddenly out of nowhere and you just welcome her in with open arms. And don't try to deny it because I saw how you were acting around her-all touchy feely. And you've been acting weird all day. Like something's been getting to ya. Maybe cupid's arrow, hmm?"

Kento could see out of the corner of his eye Cye's face harden as he teased. This only spurned him on in his chiding. His grin grew wider as he went in for the kill.

"So how about it Cye? Are you in loooove?"

That was enough to do it. Cye's expression darkened considerably in an instant. He didn't move or speak as the large words on the screen announced that Kento had won the second match. Kento could sense Cye's mood change but he kept smiling. He looked over at Cye who refused to return his gaze and simply pressed the button to start the last match. Thinking that he had gotten Cye so riled up to play right, Kento only returned about half his attention to the game. But it was over so fast, Kento hardly had the time to realize Cye had beaten him.

Cye made nary a comment about his victory as he snapped his head around to glare at the other three boys on the couch.

"Who's next?" he growled dangerously.

Rowen, Ryo, and Sage didn't answer, for the look on his face suddenly took away any thoughts they had of challenging him.

* * *

The house was nearly dark when Cye returned home. He walked in to find his mother sitting on the couch reading. Cye went up and stood behind her and leaned over her shoulder.

"I'm back," he said in a quiet voice.

Mrs. Mouri put down her book and smiled at him. "Have a good time?"

Cye smiled, though this time, it wasn't completely sincere. He wasn't about to mention the way he had uncharacteristically snapped at all his friends and just about scared them to death with his attitude. Cye still wasn't sure why he did it himself.

"Don't I always?" He paused and looked around the room. "Where's Robyn?"

Mrs. Mouri took this time to go back to her book. "I finally got her to stay awake long enough to get off the couch and sleep in the guest room."

Cye stood up straight and headed for the stairs.

"And don't you dare wake her up," his mother warned.

Cye nodded with a smile and continued up to his room. He reached his door but his gazed continued further down the hall to the guestroom whose door was open slightly. He softly crept up to it and peeked inside. The gentle light from the hallway fell on the sleeping form, her face half buried under the thick, colorful quilt.

He stayed momentarily, leaning against the door frame and watching her sleep. He smiled softly as he remembered those times many years ago when they were kids together. The thought brought back many great memories to him, and some that were not so great. He remembered when Robyn had to leave Japan. How guilty he felt, like he was just giving up on her and letting her go. It had left a void in his very soul that could never be filled. He remembered how for weeks, even months, afterwards he had wondered how he would ever get along without her. But now, at long last, he had her back. And this time, he didn't plan on letting her go so easily.

Cye shook himself when he realized how long he had been standing there and how he needed to get to bed himself. One last look at the sleeping girl and he turned to head out.

"Cye?" a soft voice asked from the darkness.

Cye turned around and leaned against the door frame once again. "Yeah?" he asked quietly.

"Are you glad I came?"

Cye gave a small, reminiscent smile. He recognized that hesitant, self doubting voice from the one he heard often long ago. He slowly walked into the room and sat down at the foot of her bed. He looked into her large, green eyes which watched him intently.

"Robyn, we've been apart so long. How could I not be happy to see you?"

"That's just it," her voice was small in reply. "It has been so long. I worried that you had this bigger, better life now. That you had all these plans and that I would just come and mess them up. And I worried..." she paused and added even quieter. "I worried that you would have forgotten."

Cye breathed out and slumped his shoulders, looking down at his shoes. "I would have never forgotten Robyn. And you were always welcome here, no matter when it was you decided to come. We-I've missed you."

"Me, too." Her voice was hardly a whisper now.

The two sat in silence for a moment until Cye spoke again.

"So, what did you think of my friends?"

Robyn shifted under the covers, rolling over onto her side. "They're okay, I guess. I really like your friend Ryo though. He seems to be one of the few people around here who doesn't have a stick shoved permanently up their-"

"Be nice," Cye warned, though he was grinning.

"But I think I'll like it here." Robyn stated.

"I hope you do." Cye got up and headed back out of the room. He paused in the door way and looked back.

"Robyn?"

"Hmmm?"

"Welcome home."

"Thanks."

Robyn's eyes were now closed, but he could see her smile. He turned around and headed for his own room, grateful to have his long lost friend back home with him safe and sound.


	2. Chapter Two: Fear the Shadows

Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall

Chapter Two: Fear the Shadows

Everything was dark. So dark. Sage hated the darkness, especially this kind. It wasn't just an absence of light, but an absence of...anything. But something was there, he could feel it. A thick, gluttonous presence was waiting. Black and full of evil-it crept towards him, hungry for his soul.

Sage saw the thing coming for him and he was filled with fear. It was a hulking black mass of dark rage and destruction. Demon red eyes glowed from the thing and burned into his terror stricken ones. Sage tried to cry out for help, tried to move, but his body wouldn't obey.

The thing grinned at him, taking morbid pleasure at his helplessness. The putrid cloud had a face now to go with those horrifying eyes. A predatory grin spread across the monster's features.

"NOOO!" Sage's mind, soul, and body cried out all at once. His whole being was shaking with fear- the kind of fear produced from any living thing when it knows it's going to die.

The thing loomed over him, dropping it's thick shadow over the terrified young man like an evil blanket. It paused in its advance and began to slowly take on a more solid form. Sage's violet eyes burned with utmost terror as the evil essence took on a somewhat human form. It was neither male nor female. It's whole body was ripped and tattered, arms hanging on by threads of raw flesh and pieces of wrapped tattered cloth-all of it black.

Tears of panic and terror stung Sage's eyes as the creature eyed him hungrily. _Rowen, Ryo, anybody...help me..._ His mind pleaded feebly. But there were no ears to hear his plea nor friendly hearts to give assistance.

The evil thing laughed a deep sinister laugh. "No one is around to hear you Sage." Its voice was that of the accumulative of every evil voice ever to have spoken. "You're all mine now."

Sage could feel its breath on his face. He couldn't move, couldn't scream. _No,_ his mind whimpered. _No, it can't end like this!_ The tears streamed faster now.

"Oh, but it can," the thing sneered as it read Sage's thoughts.

It reached up a decaying hand to Sage's face. As much as he tried to pull away, the creature's power held him frozen to the spot. The smell of the creature was overwhelming now. Like decaying flesh. Sage thought he would retch as it suddenly bent down to posses his lips. The repulsion he felt could not be expressed as the thing ravaged his mouth, working deeper down his throat until its whole essence was spilling inside of him.

Sage gagged as the thing poured its whole self down his throat, racing into his stomach and then through his veins. He still could not cry aloud, but the mental screaming inside his head was unbearable. His whole soul cried out in anguish as he felt his mind and spirit being raped of the light within him-of everything good that he held dear. The creature pillaged his entire being from the inside out, greedily sucking his essences dry. The only sound Sage was able to make was a shriek of agony as the darkness swirled around in his body until it had completely consumed him from the inside out. Dark mist swirled up from his skin as the evil dissolved his every being.

An evil, ominous laugh echoed through the shadows as the mist dissipated into the darkness, leaving nothing but the black, twisted skeleton which was all that remained of what used to be Sage Date.

* * *

"AAAHHHH!" Sage bolted upright in his bed with a horrified scream. His breath was quick and ragged. His shoulders were heaving on the verge of a sob. His body was soaked with sweat, causing his mussed, blonde hair to stick stubbornly to his forehead.

It took Sage a while to realize what had happened. Slowly his mind recognized the familiarity of his surroundings. Back home, safe in his own room. It was only a dream, or was it? He had never had a dream so intense before. His body ached as if the torture he had gone through was real. This pain was real. His headache and his fear were also real.

Dream or not, Sage was still stricken from what he had experienced. The earliness of the hour wasn't helping things at all. It would still be several hours until sunrise. Sage raked a shaking hand through his damp hair. He hated the night. He looked around at the darkened shadows of his bedroom which seemed to be reaching out for him, intent on pulling him back into his horrible nightmare with the black nothingness. Already, Sage could feel his body yearning for the day. The sun fed his soul, strengthened his spirit and chased away his fears. He wanted to turn on his bedroom light and get rid of the shadows, but the switch was so far away.

Feeling very frightened and helpless, Sage slid back down under his covers and pulled them up close around him. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he kept fearing that the thing would come back to haunt him again. Even if he simply closed his eyes, he could see the monster's sinister smirk on the backs of his eyelids. So instead, he had to keep his eyes open.

But that didn't seem to settle his nerves much either. He tried to look anywhere- his closet, his ceiling, the dull green glowing of the tiny light on the smoke detector. But his eyes kept reverting back to his slightly open door. His room, with the white walls and greyish carpet stayed fairly light, even during the night. But out in the hall, it was pitch black. So black that it would be possible for someone, anyone, to be standing there and not be seen.

The thought unnerved Sage, but he couldn't bring himself to get up and close the door. All he could do was stare. The house was silent-so absent of noise that it seemed to Sage his ears were making up their own noises to fill in for what was lacking. But no, it was something else. Whispers. Whispers so silent they could only be heard in the utmost stillness. House spirits, Sage surmised. Every house had them. They came out in the dead of the night. It was the only time the place was still enough for them to be heard. They carried on their unearthly conversations with ghostly tongues. Loud enough to be heard in the stillness, but too soft for any real words to be deciphered.

This was another reason Sage hated the night time. The restlessness of these lost souls was sometimes too much for him to handle. He wished they would be silent for just one night. What horrors that went unseen by mortal eyes did they know about? What unspeakable secrets were they discussing only slightly beyond his understanding of their words?

But something else spoke above the relentless whispers. Just outside Sage's door came something even more disturbing. The silent shuffling of a ghostly passing swished swiftly past his doorway. Impatient shiftings and shuffles sounded barely louder than his own breath in the deep darkness of the hallway. Something was out there, it had to be. A restless apparition trapped in this world and doomed to pace darkly down his hallway for all time.

Sage had never been this scared in his life. Not even when standing outside Talpa's very gates, looking straight into the face of death was he this frightened. He had his armor and his friends to help him then. This time, he had himself and a small stretch of darkness separating him from eternal doom. For he, Sage Date, the fearless warrior and bearer of the armor of Halo, had let his imagination run away with him. He pulled the sheets over his head and huddled there for the rest of the night.

And the night continued on. On and on until finally, finally the sun shed its first gentle rays of light over the city's horizon. It was then, and only then that Sage allowed his eyes to close and he, at last, fell asleep.

"Sage, honey! Time to wake up!"

The quick return back to the world of the waking was a painful one for Sage as his mother yelled to him cheerfully from the doorway. The young man groaned as he rolled over, pulling the sheets over him as a signal he wanted to be left alone. But Mrs. Date was not daunted so easily.

"Come on sunshine, time to get up!" she chirped as she snatched off his covers.

Sage only made a whimpering sound in reply and put his pillow over his head. By the soul of Anubis he needed sleep!

"Sage," his mother continued in a warning tone. But when he didn't reply her expression changed from sternness to concern. It was very seldom she had to come rouse Sage from his bed in the morning. He was usually up with the sun and wide awake-more often than not, even before she could get up herself. She walked over to his bedside to feel his forehead, but since his face was stubbornly covered with a pillow she had to settle with feeling the temperature of his neck instead. "Sage hon, are you feeling alright?"

Hearing the worry in his mother's voice forced Sage to get up. He faked a smile as he pushed the hair away from his face. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just...had trouble getting to sleep is all."

"Well, okay," his mother replied, not sounding completely convinced. "You're not having any problems at school or anything, are you?"

Sage heaved a tired sigh. Why did she always have to come to the conclusion that something was going wrong at school?

"I'm okay, really. I've just had a lot of stuff on my mind lately."

"You're sure that's all?"

"I'm sure Mom. Now let me get ready for school."

Mrs. Date sighed as she raked a few strands of her own honey colored hair out of her face. It was a gesture that seemed to be passed throughout the Date family. "Alright, I'm going. But you better hurry up. You still have to pick up Rowen."

Sage rubbed his face as his mother left the room. He was so tired and there seemed to be so much to do. And why was he always the one who had to be responsible for Rowen getting to school? Why couldn't that guy get up himself for once?

Taking a deep breath, Sage forced himself to stand up and face the day. He stumbled into the bathroom and inspected himself in the mirror. A young man with dark circles around his eyes and wild, dirty looking blonde hair sticking up every which way glared tiredly back. What did all those crazy high school girls see in the bedraggled thing he saw before him? Sage shook his head in pity for the person in the mirror and then stripped before hopping into the shower.

The water did its job in waking him up for the moment. Ten minutes later Sage could be found in the kitchen cleaned, dressed, and ready to face the day. He was perched on a counter stool idly sipping his tea and skimming through the newspaper for anything of interest.

"Well, there's our sleeping beauty," Sage's father teased as he came in. "Have a rough night?"

"Does it show?" Sage asked weakly.

His father just chuckled. "Let's just say today would be a good day to try covering up both eyes for once. See if you can get to bed early tonight, huh?"

Sage chuckled lightly. "Believe me, I have every intention of that."

Mrs. Date scurried into the room in her doctor's apparel while looking at her watch. "I've got to run now." She hurriedly kissed Sage on the cheek. "See you both tonight." She kissed her husband next and then hurried out the door.

"I'd better go, too," Sage announced as he got out of his seat. He knew he still had to pick up Rowen and that usually took all the extra time he had.

"Okay," his father called over his tea. "Will you be dropping by the dojo tonight?"

"We'll see what kind of homework I've got. See you."

Sage grabbed his bag and stepped calmly out the door. Once outside he took a deep breath and immediately began to feel better. Ah, morning. How he missed the sun's beautiful light. Now that it was shining on him again, he could feel new energy running through his body and reviving his tired spirit. His pace swiftened as his heart was lifted and he merrily made his way through the crowded sidewalks the few blocks over to Rowen's house.

Rowen's parents were divorced and he lived with his mother. She worked as an international journalist for some large company which took up all her time and so it was a very rare occasion to see her at home. Sage knew she was doing her best to support her family, but in years past, Rowen had several times confided in him that he and his mother were drifting further apart.

Sage walked up the familiar steps to the Hashiba's apartment. He paused at the door before opening it and letting himself inside. Because of his upbringing, Sage hated just to walk in like this. But every day he had to. Previous experiences had taught him that if he just sat outside and rang the doorbell no one would ever answer.

"Sage!" Rowen's mother exclaimed when she saw him enter. "How nice to see you!"

Sage smiled and nodded politely. It was very seldom he ever saw Rowen's mother. Her job usually kept her away from home. Especially at this time of day. She was bustling about the place, fixing her hair here and putting on an earing there.

"Is Rowen up yet?" Sage asked.

"Um...I'm not sure. You can go up and check. Just be sure he gets to school on time. I'm late for my flight!" Rowen's mother called as she hurried about. And without another word, she snatched up her briefcase and headed for the door.

Sage sighed. So he was left to do the mother's job now, as always. No doubt she had arrived the night before and she and Rowen had stayed up all night catching up on what each other had missed. That always happened when Mrs. Hashiba came home. And now Rowen would be even harder to wake up than usual.

Sage heavily clunked up the stairs to Rowen's room. The door was left halfway open and he entered without nary a pause. The hardwood floor of Rowen's room was scattered with books, clothes and various other odds and ends. A worn, deep blue rug lay sprawled out in the middle. The room wasn't too dirty, but it wasn't as clean as Sage's was. But then again, not many things were. It wasn't that Sage was a neat freak, he just had a thing for organization.

Slumbering heavily in the bed amidst the white sheets was Rowen. His long legs and arms were tangled in his covers as he snored face up to the ceiling. Sage shook his head. Rowen was the wildest, deepest sleeper he knew. Why couldn't he sleep that way? Sage took a moment to stand over his slumbering friend and watch him jealously. Lucky stiff.

Sage stood for a moment longer before turning on his heel and marching into the bathroom where he filled a cup with water and then returned back to the bedside. Rowen was snoozing as peacefully as ever when Sage unceremoniously poured the contents of the cup into his open mouth. Rowen sputtered as he tried to breath in and sat up hacking and spitting out water.

"Good morning sunshine," Sage grinned casually.

It took a moment of good coughing before Rowen was able to talk. "Geeze Sage! Why don't you just drown me next time!"

Sage shrugged. "Quickest way to wake you up."

Rowen rubbed his face as his surprise was soon replaced with fatigue again. "I wish you would have just let me sleep. Mom came home last night."

"I know, I managed to see the back of her head as she rushed out the door."

"I got to bed at four-thirty this morning," Rowen moaned.

"It shows," Sage said sympathetically.

Rowen looked up at his friend and gazed on his face for the first time. "So what's your excuse?"

Sage tiredly ran his fingers through his hair, momentarily revealing his right eye before the thick, blonde lock fell back into place. He knew there was no use hiding it from his friend. Even when this tired, Rowen noticed everything. He sat down heavily on the bed next to his blue haired companion and sighed.

"Couldn't go to sleep last night. I had this horrible dream. I can't really explain it, only that it was like nothing I've ever had before. There was something...something about this dream that was so real." He paused and added in a lower voice. "So evil."

He turned to Rowen to check his reaction but he was already back asleep.

"Rowen, WAKE UP!" Sage hissed as he threw a pillow annoyedly at Rowen, hitting him hard enough to wake him up again.

Rowen snorted and blinked hazily as he was shoved back into awareness. "Huh?"

"Some friend you are! Did you even hear a word I said?"

"Of course I did," Rowen insisted. "I heard the one thing...about...that other thing."

Sage was about to tell Rowen off but the only thing that came out was a deep, heavy sigh. The blonde haired youth crawled fully onto the bed and flopped down along the length of it. Rowen sat up and looked at the back of Sage's head curiously.

"Um...Sage?"

"Wake me in a few hours, will you?" Sage's voice came slightly muffled from the pillow his face was buried in. "I'm tired."

Rowen yawned again and gave his friend a tired smile before letting himself drop back onto his own pillow. "Fine by me."

It wasn't long before both were sleeping peacefully away as the morning sun shined gently in on them through the window.

* * *

There it was faithfully again, same time every morning. The sound of Kento's beastly machine as it screamed up the road and pulled loudly into the parking lot. Ryo grinned, one could set their watch by that sound. He approached the rag tag thing like he had done the day before as Cye once again got out of the passenger seat. But this time, Kento had one extra person to take to school.

Robyn had been silent for the whole ride. She seemed so talkative the other day, Kento wondered if it was something he had done. She had just sat and stared the whole ride to school. Cye had done the most talking- whining and carrying on so much about Kento's "short cut" yesterday that he had kept to the main streets just to shut him up.

Now a very relieved Cye was climbing out of the passenger door as Kento killed the engine. He was about to get out himself when Robyn suddenly grabbed his sleeve to get his attention.

"Cye can cook," she informed Kento in awe as if the whole concept were utterly unreal to her. "Did you know Cye could cook? I didn't know Cye could cook."

Kento chuckled. "Yeah, I knew he could cook." He was about to get out of the vehicle again when Robyn once more tugged at his sleeve.

"Cye can cook good. He can cook really good. I didn't know he could cook good."

Kento patted her shoulder. "Well, we learn something new every day." Robyn gave a blank nod while Kento was finally able to get out. Robyn shook herself out of her trance and got out of the passenger side and stood next to Cye, squinting in the early sunlight.

"Hey guys," Ryo grinned as he approached them.

"Ryo," Cye greeted. "You're here early again."

"Yeah, Gram pulled the clock thing on me two days in a row."

Cye laughed. "That sounds like her."

"Yeah," Ryo grumbled. "Always one step ahead of me. One day I'm going to get her in her own game."

Cye just laughed again. "We'll just see about that. We all know your grandmother is as tricky as they come."

Ryo nodded grimly. She was a sneaky one alright. Almost too sneaky even for the bearer of Wildfire at times. Ryo's gaze fell on the small figure behind Cye. Robyn didn't seem to be paying much attention to the boys. She had her worn, beaten bag hanging over one shoulder as she gazed around at the school. Ryo walked over to her.

"So, coming to first hour with me?"

"Actually, no," she replied as she turned to look at him. "The reason I was in there with the principal yesterday morning is because they were trying to stick me in that chemistry class when I had already taken it last year. So I had to go and prove to the dumb shmucks that I already knew the material, etcetera, etcetera. And so now I've got me a whole new lovely schedule to memorize. How nice for Robyn." She gave Ryo a crooked smile. "Sorry Pyro-Boy."

Ryo shrugged. "That's okay."

"Hey, we've still got seventh hour." Robyn elbowed him playfully. "Lucky us, right?"

Ryo laughed, remembering how boring that class had been the day before. "Right, sooo lucky."

"Hey, anyone seen Sage and Rowen yet?" Kento asked as he looked around. "They're usually here by now."

Ryo shrugged. "Well, I heard Rowen's mom would be coming back last night. So you can guess what happened."

Cye and Kento nodded in understanding.

"What?" Robyn asked curiously. "What happened?"

"Family night," the three of them replied dully.

Robyn just shrugged. Whatever. Maybe she'll find out what they were meaning eventually.

"And there is the bell," Cye commented as it rang.

Kento looked in the direction Sage and Rowen usually came to school. But he saw neither. "Looks like I'm heading to first hour alone today," he said to himself as they all packed off for the school.

* * *

First and second hour passed like the norm for Robyn as she searched for her new classes and tried to get used once again to her newer schedule. It was third hour now and she was currently walking across the street to the college extension adjacent to the high school. She wasn't looking forward to attending these higher classes. It was her senior year, dangit! She wanted to goof off! But taking the classes now was saving her and Cye's family money since, while attending at the high school, she didn't have to pay tuition.

"Hey Robyn, wait up."

Robyn paused as a strange voice called her name and she looked behind her. A tall, lanky boy with blue hair hanging wildly over crystalline blue eyes jogged up to her.

"Hi," he greeted as he caught up. "Thanks for waiting."

"No problem," Robyn said as they started walking again.

"So, where ya headed?" Rowen wanted to know.

"Trig, whoopie." Robyn twirled her finger sarcastically.

Rowen chuckled. "Don't like it, huh?"

"Not really. Hate math. But for some reason, I'm in the advanced class. Go fig. But this class is really going to suck extra because I have to work over time to catch up with everybody else."

"Hey, I'm going to that class, too. I'll be glad to help you if you need it."

"Thanks." Robyn paused for a moment. "You know, this is kind of embarrassing for me. I don't have a clue what your name is."

Rowen laughed. "Sorry about that. I'm Rowen Hashiba. I'm one of Cye's friends."

"Rowen! Right! I should have remembered that. I'm so horrible with names. Okay, Rowen, Rowen, Rowen, Rowen. Blue hair. Got it."

Rowen grinned down at the energetic young girl. "And you're Robyn, am I right?"

"Yup."

"Got a last name to go with that Robyn?"

Robyn stopped in mid stride and a thoughtful look covered her features. "Ohhhh...last name, last name. Um...I think McCarthy is what's printed on all the rolls."

"You mean you're not sure what it is?"

"Well, I've lived with several different families throughout my lifetime if that's any indication for you."

"Oh," Rowen looked down, feeling uncomfortable for asking. "I'm sorry."

Robyn laughed lightly. "Don't be. It's not your fault. I just had to adjust more than the average kid. No biggie."

Rowen smiled again as they reached the college and he opened the door for her. She had a certain spark about her he found intriguing. He had a feeling he was going to like this new spirit in their lives.

* * *

Sage stumbled through the door of his fourth hour class. He was still feeling quite groggy, sleeping in always did that to him. Cye and Kento were already in their seats, the latter giving Sage a stern glare as he took the seat in front of Cye.

"And where were you this morning?" Kento demanded. "I was stuck in that stupid class all by myself. Next time you sluff our first hour, DON'T DO IT WITHOUT ME!"

"Kento, hush," Cye admonished when he noticed the teacher glaring in their direction.

Sage, not feeling up to the challenge of arguing with the warrior of strength, decided he best just keep his mouth shut. So instead, the blonde young man folded his arms as the usual look of practiced tolerance covered his face.

At that moment, a young girl with reddish hair decided to come inspect the door and then poke her head into the room.

"Robyn!" both Cye and Kento greeted at the same time when they saw her.

She waved at them timidly before taking a few self-conscious steps into the room.

"Am I in the right class?" she asked in a hushed tone as if she would get in trouble if she got caught with them.

"It is if you're here for ancient Japanese history," Kento grinned.

"Oh good." Robyn slung her heavy backpack off her shoulder and let it drag tiredly on the floor as she continued into the room.

Sage took a moment from meditating to watch her with his visible violet eye as she journeyed across the room. Her gate was slow and her shoulders were slumped. She didn't seem to notice his eyes on her as she made like she was going to take the seat next to him and in front of Kento. But suddenly, a raven haired girl slipped quickly into the spot Robyn was meaning to go. It was Miniko. The snobbish girl who had threatened Robyn yesterday, now gave her a dark glare before starting off a conversation with Sage who looked less than thrilled with her presence.

But Robyn merely ignored her. She could care less who Miniko wanted to bother as long as it wasn't her. So Robyn continued trudging up the isle, still dragging her bag behind her, and took the seat behind Cye. She sat down with a loud sigh and let her forehead drop none too gently on the desk. It stayed there for a minute before she lifted her face again and grabbed Cye's shoulders from behind.

"Cye! I'm so hungry! I can't wait 'til lunch!" she whined as she shook his shoulders and then dropped her face pitifully back onto the desk.

Cye chuckled. "Sounds like someone else I know." He raised an eye brow at Kento.

"Hey!" Kento defended. "I don't sound like THAT!"

Robyn just moaned and rolled her head to the side. "I'll never make it."

Cye turned around in his seat so he could see her better, or at least the back of her head since her face was pressed against her desk top.

"Didn't you eat breakfast?"

"Mmm...breakfast," Robyn mumbled as she remembered Cye's cooking from that morning. Right now she was ready to sell her soul for another one of Cye's homemade pancakes.

Cye was about to inform her she had eaten at least ten of them but the voice of their teacher cut him off and he quickly moved to face forward. The history teacher was a rather crusty looking old man. Robyn didn't even have the slightest idea what his name was. But he looked to her like he had been teaching waaayyy to long.

"Alright class, we'll start off by reading aloud from chapter two. Here we'll discuss the ancient mumble mumble of the blah blah blah..."

Robyn wasn't listening. The insistent growls of her stomach were too loud to be ignored.

"I'm still sooooo hungry!" Robyn whined quietly. "Oh wait!" She hurriedly pulled out her bag and started digging through it. "Eureka!" She pulled out a Snickers bar and greedily unwrapped her prize. But she only got one good bite out of it before it was taken away by the teacher. Robyn sat and stared at her open, empty hand and then buried her head in her arms and whimpered pitifully. Kento, from his vantage point, was trying very hard not to laugh by now.

"Ms. McCarthy."

"Present," Robyn called as he lifted her head again. The class snickered.

"I'm not calling roll, I want you to read where we left off."

"Oh," Robyn muttered under her breath. "Crap."

She stared blankly at her empty desk. Why did the teacher have to pick on her to read out of the book? Book! She didn't even have a book. This teacher expected way too much. She wasn't about to do it. So instead, she folded her arms indignantly.

"We're waiting Ms. McCarthy," the teacher warned.

Robyn's rebellious stance faltered instantly under the teacher's expectant stare. Everyone was looking at her now, she could feel eyes boring into her from every direction. Sage with his indifferent stare, the heartless jerk. There was Miniko, looking as smug as could be at Robyn's discomfort. Kento was staring, too. Was that pity she saw in his eyes? The only one who wasn't looking was Cye. All Robyn could see was his back as he buried his nose deep in his book and refused to turn around. So you're going to pretend I don't exist now Cye? Thanks a bunch.

"Ms. McCarthy!" The teacher was right in her face now. "Are you going to cooperate in class or am I going to have to send you out?"

Robyn flinched under his accusing tone. "I uh, that is I...um, book...you see and..."

"Hey, come on teach, lay off her. It's her first day!"

Robyn looked at Kento in surprise. She hardly knew this boy and already he was coming to her rescue. My hero, she thought lamely.

The teacher now turned his wrath on Kento. "Mr. Faun, would you like to join Ms. McCarthy out in the hall?"

Kento gave him a funny look. "That's kind of a stupid question."

The history teacher's face turned a bright red in his anger. "Both of you out! NOW!" He pointed to the door as if they were not sure which way they were supposed to leave the room.

Robyn glared icily at the teacher as she stood and started out the door. Definitely retirement time for you, ya crusty old fart. Robyn gave him a mental raspberry before slinking out the door after Kento, still dragging her backpack on the floor. The two continued on silently down the hall for a moment.

"Thanks for sticking up for me," Robyn finally spoke up. "I'm sorry you got in trouble. I should have said something, I'm just too stupid, I guess."

"Hey, no problem," Kento grinned. "Any friend of Cye's is a friend of mine. Besides," he added with a wink. "Us stupid kids have to stick together."

Robyn laughed. It felt good to know that someone else was on her side. And she needed all the support she could get as the principal's office loomed before them.

"Your parents going to be mad about this?" Robyn asked Kento quietly.

"Eh, my mom will have her little fit and my dad will give me that stern look. But I'll live. You?"

"I honestly don't have a clue." She reached up and opened the door.

The principal looked up as the two slunk inside his office. He was a tall, lanky man with a firm jaw and greying hair. He raised an eye brow at the two troublemakers as they closed the door behind them.

"And just what happened this time Mr. Faun?" he asked. Kento had been here to visit before and they knew each other well.

Kento laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. He knew he'd have to play his cards right if he was going to get out of this one with minimal consequences.

"Well you see Mr. Yamada, uh, I was..."

"It was my fault," Robyn interrupted. She started talking with a small voice and fidgeting with her hands. "I- I didn't mean to make him mad. I didn't do anything, he just started yelling at me and stuff. And everyone was just looking. Kento was the only one who would stand up for me. He's my only friend in the world! Why is everyone so mean?"

Kento watched Robyn's sob story with wide eyes. Wow, she's good! I even feel sorry for her and I was there!

The principal, however, did not look too convinced. "You can turn off the water works now, Ms. McCarthy. I already know you're not the poor victim you're pretending to be."

"Rats," Robyn cursed, instantly switching back to her usual state.

"But I also know what kind of man Mr. Kuroda can be," the principal went on. "I know that sometimes he can be a..."

"A total pant load," Robyn finished. Kento choked back a laugh.

"Well, yes, that's one way of putting it. I'm going to let you two off this time. But just try to play by his rules for now. I don't want to see either of you back in here any time soon."

"Yes sir!" the two chorused enthusiastically as they stood.

The principal nodded that they could leave and Kento and Robyn eagerly did so.

"Wow, your principal is soooo cool!" Robyn grinned as they started down the hall. "I wish mine was like that. All the principal's I've had were total tight wads."

"Yeah, he's pretty easy going," Kento agreed. "So what should we do now? I don't really want to go back to class."

"Me neither." Robyn smiled as an idea hit her. "I'm up for an early lunch, how about you?"

Kento grinned from ear to ear. "Robyn, you're speaking my language. Let's go!"

* * *

The bell rang for lunchtime and the crowds of students filed into the cafeteria or outside as they saw fit. Sage and Cye walked out of the school together, lunch bags in hand. None of the Ronins hardly ever ate the cafeteria food if they could help it. Not after of summer of eating Cye and Mia's wonderful cooking.

"I wonder what happened to Robyn and Kento," Cye was saying. "I hope they didn't get into too much trouble. I really should have said something back there. I feel so bad about it."

"I wouldn't worry too much Cye," Sage replied calmly. "Look, they're right over there."

Cye turned his gaze to where Sage was pointing. Robyn and Kento were seated beneath the large tree amidst the grassy field where they usually gathered to eat lunch. The two were just finishing up the remainder of their meals when Cye and Sage approached. Their arrival was hardly noticed as Robyn was caught up in a story Kento was telling in an animated fashion.

"And my little brother and I- we were just playing around," the warrior of strength was relating. "We didn't mean to, but the ball bounced up and it hit my great grandma's urn and knocked it off the mantle. KERPLOP! It fell open and all this black dust went everywhere. All over my mom's new carpet."

Robyn laughed out loud and waved to Cye as he took a seat next to her. Sage was content to lean against the tree trunk for the moment.

"Did you get in really bad trouble?" Robyn asked with interest.

"Oh yeah. We're not supposed to be playing ball in the house in the first place. And I thought my mom was going to blow her top, you should have seen my dad when he got home. He was so mad. He sent us out in the yard to 'go find a stick'."

Robyn was laughing again and beside her, Cye was chuckling. He loved this story.

"So we go out there," Kento continued. "And we're like, hunting for all these sticks and hitting each other with them to find the one that would hurt the least. We were out there for at least a half an hour, hitting each other with sticks. Both of us were covered with bruises and bawling by the time we got back. We handed my father this teensy little twig and waited for our beating. That was when my parents decided we had already been punished enough."

Robyn, who had been laughing through the whole story, now burst into a fresh set of hysterical giggles. She was laughing so hard she could hardly sit up straight any more. Even Sage was fighting to keep his composture at the mental image Kento's story provided.

"Oh, poor Ken!" Robyn laughed. "You poor little kids! That's the funniest thing I've ever heard!"

She could hardly control herself now as she rolled on the grass as if she hadn't laughed in the longest time. Ryo and Rowen could hear her as they walked together towards the tree. The young red head was almost too weak to get up as they approached. She was laying on her side, clutching her aching ribs as her laughter slowly subsided. Ryo grinned as he stood over her. She had a great laugh. The kind that just made you want to laugh right along whenever you heard it.

"And who's been torturing this poor girl here?" Ryo wanted to know.

Robyn fought to pull herself back into a sitting position. Her sides were aching from the laugh attack and she favored them as she tried to regain her composure. But a new wave of giggles flowed through her as the memory came back fresh in her mind. She clutched her sides again.

"Oh...my sides...hurt so bad!" she cried weakly through her fits.

"Good grief Robyn!" Cye exclaimed. "Get a grip on yourself, will you?"

"Okay, okay," Robyn pulled herself up and, with much effort, composed herself though she was still smiling big.

"So Robyn," Rowen said as he sat down, worming his way between her and Cye. The brown haired boy gave him a strange look but sided over to give him space. "Think you've still managed to remember my name?"

"Uh, sure I did, um...Roland."

Rowen laughed and shook his head. "Close, but not quite?"

"Roger? Robby? Richard?"

Rowen shook his head to all of them. Ryo, who was still standing over them, was laughing.

"What then?" Robyn asked in an exasperated tone, but not before smacking Ryo in the shin. Though it didn't hurt much, Ryo still made a sound of protest to the mistreatment of his leg and retreated to stand over by Sage where it was safer.

"I'm Rowen, remember?" Rowen grinned.

"Rowen?" Robyn scrunched up her nose like she had never heard it before. "What kind of name is that?"

Rowen just shook his head and started to dig out his lunch. Ryo and Sage finally sat down among their comrades in the grass and everyone started eating. Everyone, except those who were already finished. Kento, who had polished off his meal only a minute before, was now eye balling Cye's food hungrily.

"Hey Cye, are you-"

"Yes," Cye replied automatically as he held his lunch at a safe distance.

Kento sighed and slumped his shoulders in disappointment. Robyn was sitting next to him against the tree trunk as she fished through her bag.

"Here." She tossed him a zip lock bag full of pretzels. Kento heartily dug in while Robyn found the pen she had been looking for.

"Hey Ken, how do you spell his name?" She motioned with her head in Rowen's direction.

Kento, engrossed in his pretzels, hardly looked up as he spelled Rowen's name for her.

"Why do you ask?" he then questioned.

"No reason." Robyn capped her pen and returned it to her bag.

"So Robyn," Ryo spoke up. "What do you think of Toyama so far?"

Her eyes suddenly went very round at the mention of it. "Oh my gosh, this place is huge! You should have seen me when I first got here, I thought I was going to get so lost no one was ever going to see me again! Go ask Cye's mom, I made her take me to school because I just knew I'd get lost on the subway, and then I didn't want to get out of the car. I was all a very sad day for Robyn."

"So you're not used to the big cities?" Rowen asked next.

"Not as much as you might think. I'm more of a small town girl."

"Oh really..." Cye raised an eye brow at her.

"Yes, really Cye," Robyn replied curtly with a hit of annoyance in her voice. "Thanks for asking."

The two stared each other down for a moment as if sizing each other up or one trying to get information from the other. But neither seemed to give away anything. Robyn was the first to look away.

"Hey, we should all go out his weekend and show Robyn the town!" Kento exclaimed. "We'll par-tay all night long! What do ya say?"

"Sounds fun to me," Robyn grinned.

"I'm in," Ryo agreed.

"What about you..." Robyn paused to glance at her palm. "Rowen?"

Rowen was chewing on his lunch thoughtfully. "Well, I guess I could find the time to-" He was cut off as Cye suddenly reached out and grabbed Robyn's hand and pulled it back towards his face.

"What the-Robyn, you wrote his name on your hand?"

Rowen, who was in between them, had time to glance at Robyn's open palm to see his name scrawled upon it in smeared black ink.

"Well, I had to make sure I'd remember it," Robyn defended as she took back her hand.

Rowen laughed and shook his head. "Am I really that forgettable?"

Robyn gave him her best cutesy pout. "Aww Rowen, I'm sorry." She paused as realization hit her. "Hey, I got it! Rowen Rowen Rowen Rowen! Woo hoo!"

Kento looked up from his munching to scrutinize her. "You sure do get happy over the littlest things."

"Yeah, simple pleasures for simple minds," Ryo chided.

Robyn's expression turned to one of exaggerated surprise as she made a sound of complete indignation to Ryo's remark. She picked up the closest thing to her, which happened to be Rowen's pencil, and flung it at him. But unfortunately, her aim was way off and she ended up pegging the only one insisting on minding his own business- Sage.

This time it was Sage's turn to make a noise of indignation as the pencil beaned him in the head and remained stuck in his thick hair. Robyn's eyes got wide and she gasped as if her puppy just got ran over by a beer truck.

"Oh my gosh!" she cried as she scrambled to her feet. "Sage I am so, so sorry." She tripped over Kento, stepping on his leg and earning a few comments about her intelligence for it.

Ryo was stumbling around and laughing at the situation he had caused while Sage fished Rowen's pencil from his air and frowned at it. Robyn clambered madly over to him and landed on the grass at his feet.

"Sage, are okay? I didn't mean to hit YOU!" She emphasized that last word as she smacked Ryo's shin again when he got within her reach. Ryo cried out in protest, this time it did hurt. "I'm really very, very sorry Sage."

Sage finally looked up at her, straight into her eyes. Robyn almost gasped in spite of herself. Just one eye, that single violet iris pierced her right through. It was so intense Robyn felt as if she was being stared at through to her very soul. She was thrust deeper and deeper until she caught a momentary glance at the gray violet storm which raged inside the blonde youth. Robyn breathed out slowly as she collected herself back to reality.

"Sage! Hi!" The shrill, girlish voice caused everyone to look in the direction it came from. A girl with short blonde hair and too much makeup skipped up towards them with her shorter, brunette companion in tow.

Robyn watched blankly as the two skittered energetically towards them. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Sage grimaced outwardly as he stood and tried to leave. But the two girls swarmed in too fast and cornered him against the wide tree trunk. Before he could even get a word out, the blonde girl started talking up a storm about this and that. She was talking so fast Sage could hardly tell what she was saying, like she had anything of importance to tell him anyway.

"AndIwuzlikenoway!AndItotallycouldn'tbelieveit!Couldyou?Noway!:D!" the girl continued to buzz in her high pitched voice. " Like, did ya catch all that?"

All Sage could do was smile stiffly and nod, still pressed as close as he possibly could to the tree trunk.

_Must get away!_ Sage thought urgently. _Chattering...giving big...headache.. .head...will explode..._

"Hey chatterbox," Robyn suddenly spoke up. The girl stopped talking and looked at her as if surprised someone else of the same sex even existed. "Could you release your prey now? You're scaring the poor kid to death."

The girl turned and gave her such a look as if Robyn was unfit to lick the dirt off her cheep, tacky boots. "Excuse me?"

"Here, let me put it in terms you can understand." Robyn's expression instantly went to a ditzy perkiness and she tossed her head as she spit out all her sentences in on quick series in the same fashion as the girl before her.

"You''tstantyousowhydon'tyoutakeoffokay? Like, did you catch all that?"

The blonde girl gasped at the insult and turned to Sage to demand retribution for such an outrage. But Sage had already pulled his disappearing act and was no where to be found. She looked at the other boys sitting around the tree. They didn't even bother looking up at her. Her brunette companion tugged at her arm.

"Come on, let's go. We don't need to hang around with these losers."

Robyn gave the girls dirty looks as they retreated back to the school. Cye was trying not to die from embarrassment.

"Wow! She's a regular spitfire!" Rowen commented.

"Yeah, and she's also in trouble," Kento observed. "Those were Min's friends. They're like cockroaches, you cross their path once and they keep coming back."

Robyn didn't seem to be listening as she gazed ruefully around the school grounds for a familiar blonde head but found none. "Well Robyn, there's your major screw up for the day," she told herself. "A really decent guy totally hates you now, what next?"

"Sage doesn't hate you Robyn," Ryo assured her. "He just wanted to get away from those other girls. You'll see."

Robyn sighed and then glared at the black haired boy. "This is all your fault you know."

"Me? You're the one who hit him!"

"Yeah, well you're the one who provoked me in the first place. You-"

BRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!

The bell sounded the end off lunch, but not the end of the argument.

"Well I hope you're satisfied Ryo Sanada! You're now qualified as the biggest jerk in the world."

"I'm not satisfied until I do this!"

"Ryo, what-Ahhhaha! Ryo, don't! Stop! That-that tickles!"

Cye stood up tiredly, ignoring the two teens which were now having a tickle torture session and started off for the school. Kento was quick to follow as Rowen got up more slowly. The blue haired boy paused as he passed Robyn and Ryo still wrestling on the ground.

"Get a room you two," he informed them.

Ryo and Robyn paused and looked at one another. With a collective "EWW!" they scrambled away from each other and ran to grab their stuff and join their comrades as they continued back to school.

* * *

The last bell rang for the day. The students of Han 'A High School slowly flooded out the front doors. Among them was Kento, Cye, Sage, and Rowen. They stood outside at their usual place by the front doors as they waited for the rest of their group before departing their separate ways. This they always did, no matter what. It was one of the small ways the group seemed to stay loyal to each other.

"Hey, has anyone seen Ryo?" Cye asked. "He's usually out here by now."

"Doesn't he have seventh hour with Robyn?" Kento asked with a grin. "Maybe they got...sidetracked."

Cye punched his friend in the arm for the innuendo.

"What?"

"There they are," Sage said as he gazed over at the basketball courts.

The group traveled over to where Robyn and Ryo were engrossed in a game of one on one. Robyn had the ball and it was all she could do just to keep it. Ryo seemed to be everywhere at once, blocking her way no matter where she turned. Robyn was getting frustrated now and, with an angry cry, flung the worn basketball in the direction of the hoop. The ball bounced off the banker, swirled around the hoop's rim, and then slowly tipped through the net. Both players stared at it in shock.

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it!" Ryo cried.

"Woo hoo! Point for me! Oh yeah!" Robyn cheered and started to do a funny little victory dance. "Who's the best? Robyn is! That's right!"

Ryo gave her a smug smirk after he recovered from his shock. "Don't get too cocky, that was only one point."

"Ah, maybe," Robyn corrected. "But I am more proud of my one point than you are of your twelve."

"Twelve?" Rowen called as the rest of them approached. "School just barely got out. How did you play a game so fast?"

Ryo and Robyn's faces instantly turned guilty at the question.

Robyn wasn't about to say anything, but Ryo could never lie to his teammates.

"Um..we didn't actually go to class," he admitted.

"Robyn!" Cye exclaimed. "You sluffed on your second day of school! What were you thinking? What if you got caught!"

"Sorry mommy," Robyn retorted. "I was not aware I needed your permission."

Cye's brows furrowed in anger at her chiding. But there was also a bit of hurt in his eyes. Robyn went off to fetch her bag, a hint of annoyance remained in her stride. Ryo looked at Cye and shrugged apologetically. The sluffing wasn't exactly all his idea, but he was still sorry for the trouble it had caused.

"I don't see what you're so angry about," Robyn continued as she came back. "It's not like anything happened."

Cye sighed. "Can we just go now?"

Robyn shrugged. "Sure, whatever." She tromped past the group and led the way to the parking lot.

Cye started darkly after her with his hands in his pockets while Kento hesitantly brought up the rear. The remaining three ronins watched them go.

"What is it with those two?" Rowen wondered. "For long lost friends, they certainly seem to be ragging on each other a lot."

"I hope it's not because of something I did," Ryo said quietly.

"Don't even start Ryo," Sage warned. "This is definitely no fault of yours. Come on Rowen, let's go."

Sage and Rowen started off towards the subway station, leaving Ryo alone with his thoughts. Soon after, the roar of Kento's jeep filled the air as it sputtered to life and screamed down the street.

The dark haired boy sighed deeply as he watched all his friends travel off to their own destinations. With hands shoved deep in his pockets, he turned on his heels and headed down the sidewalk to his own house. The traffic was noisy as Ryo followed the familiar path he took each day. But the usual honking of horns and screeching of engines hardly reached his ears as his outward awareness was hindered by the deep thoughts swirling around inside him.

He didn't mean to be a burden on anyone. He was sure the harsh feelings going on between Robyn and Cye were his fault. Why didn't he ever think things through? And Sage's words had hit harder than he had probably meant to. Ryo didn't mean to make everyone mad at him. Why was he always like this? It was his job, wasn't it? He had to take responsibilities for the team.

_What team?_ Ryo thought. _With Talpa gone are we, the Ronin Warriors, through? Are my responsibilities to the others over now? Could I really give up those responsibilities if I wanted to?_

Ryo shook his head. He knew no matter what happened to the Ronin Warriors, his four teammates would always be looking to him for some sort of guidance...wouldn't they? No matter how old they got, how far they drifted apart, they would always know he would be there for them, right? There would always be need of advice, guidance, and friendship from good old Ryo Sanada, wouldn't there?

Ryo was so busy letting his thoughts wander unleashed that he hardly noticed that he was already in the house as he seated himself on one of the stools around the counter. A cloudy expression settled on the teen's face as worry after worry flooded through his troubled mind. He didn't even notice his own grandmother as she bustled in with a sack of groceries in her arms.

Grandma Sanada was a thin woman, a few inches shorter than her grandson. Several wrinkles acquired over the many years crisscrossed the once sharp features of her face and her once raven hair now sported a silver hue. But her sharp, intelligent eyes always glowed with a youthful exuberance that betrayed her age. She set down the bag of groceries and hurried about getting everything put away, but she paused when she noticed the familiar frown on her grandson's face and she frowned in return.

"And what great calamity rests on your world wary shoulders today, my little worry wort?" she asked.

Ryo looked up, noticing her for the first time. "Huh? Oh, just the usual, I guess." He returned his gaze back to the counter top and traced small patterns on the shiny surface with his finger.

"The usual?" his grandmother chided. "Evil spirit sucking demons come to take over our world again, eh?"

Most of the humor in the statement was lost on Ryo. His grandmother, of course, was only joking. Only if she knew how true that statement once was...

"Well, don't just sit there and let it fester inside you boy!" she continued. "Let it out! Let's hear what horrible fate awaited my Ryo this time."

Ryo gave his grandmother a nonappreciative smirk. She always had a flare for words and making things sound bigger than they were. She got it from all that writing she used to do when she was younger. And even now, nobody could tell a story like Grandma Sanada.

"It was nothing big," Ryo reluctantly muttered. "There were just a few bad feelings between some friends and I..."

"You blame yourself for what happened," Grandma Sanada nodded knowingly. "You're just like your grandfather was. That man always thought all the world's problems best rested on his shoulders and literally worried himself right into the grave. He had that same worry wrinkle you're starting to develop. Right there."

Ryo touched the spot on his brow his grandmother had pointed out. He could feel the muscles bunched up beneath his fingers from the day's stress.

"But Grandpa was a good man," Ryo argued gently.

"He was," she agreed. "And he took good care of our family. But that doesn't mean you need to follow in his footsteps Ryo. Sometimes one needs to stop fretting over what was done or what's coming and just take a moment to enjoy life the way it is. To trouble one's self over so much is not good. It sucks the years right out of you Ryo, I've seen it happen. Promise me you won't let the same thing happen to you."

"Okay Grandma." Ryo's voice was soft, but so was the smile on his face. "I'll remember that."

"Good," his grandmother paused to wipe away a tear. "Look what you've done, now you've brought me down. What should we do to lighten the mood now? I know, a young couple just moved in across the street. Go take that tiger of yours and give them a nice scare."

"Grandma," Ryo said in a voice one usually reserved when trying to tolerate little children's behavior. It was a tone Ryo reserved only for her. But then he added "That was the reason the family before them moved out in the first place."

Grandma Sanada laughed heartily. Ryo always loved that laugh. It was a sound that always came from the heart- a sound that always reminded him that he was home.

"Well here then," she slung a bowl of ice cream in his direction. "Maybe this will make you feel better. And don't give any to White Blaze this time, that fat tabby could stand to loose some weight."

Ryo nodded and gladly dug in. The simple magic of just being home was instantly lifting his spirits. And no matter how bleak the day was or whatever went wrong, he could always come back to the place where he knew everything would be okay.

* * *

Ryo Sanada was not the only one intent on enjoying a good home and good ice cream. On the other side of town, Cye Mouri popped his head into the kitchen when he heard a small crash. At first he couldn't see anything as to what caused the noise, but soon a hand popped up from the other side of the counter and slung a spoon and a slightly battered carton of ice cream on top of it. Robyn's bright head of hair showed up next as she pulled herself to her feet.

"What happened?" Cye asked as he came further in. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Robyn grumbled. "I just tripped."

"Over what?" Cye wondered. The floor was practically spotless.

"Myself, okay?" Robyn moodily kicked off her shoes, flinging them with her feet where they rolled somewhere underneath the table. With a grumpy sigh she leaned her elbows on the counter and proceeded to eat the ice cream right out of the carton.

"We have bowls, you know," Cye informed her.

"So?" Robyn continued to glare at her tooty fruity. "This is good enough for me, thank you."

There was a moments pause before Cye spoke again. "Whatever happened to that shy, sweet little girl I used to know?"

Robyn swallowed her ice cream and stared at her bent reflection on the back of the spoon. "She got a personality, I suppose."

"Yeah, but when did you start acting like...this?"

Robyn turned her eyes from the ice cream to stare him down. "It's called an attitude Cye, I earned it back in the states. It's what's kept me going this far, got it?"

She waved her hand in a motion of dismissal, but lightning quick, Cye reached out and snatched it in mid air.

His words started out sharply and then softened. "Well you don't need to use it here."

Robyn stared him in the face, her green eyes searching his for something- she wasn't sure what. Cye's hand remained on hers, holding it aloof but keeping his grip gentle as he continued to look her in the face. Robyn found herself getting lost in those eyes of his. Deep pools of green kissed with a glint of grey, like the sea after a storm. Eyes that had once burned with anger and courage in the face of demons now were gentle and pleading.

"Okay Cye," Robyn relented, her voice barely a whisper. "Okay."

* * *

Sage shuffled softly into his room wearing his silky, royal blue pajamas. It was only ten thirty and already the Date household was settling down for the night. Neither of Sage's parents were night people and both had to get up early for work anyway. That habit seemed to run in their blood. Except for Sage's older sister Yayoi who was the black sheep of the family. She didn't live at home any more but Sage recalled that she always stayed up late and slept in. He had always joked that she belonged in Rowen's family.

The house was quiet as Sage finished preparing for the night. Sage, like mostly everybody else, had his own routine at bed time. But tonight he was doing something differently. Padding carefully to the doorway with bear feet, Sage peeked cautiously down the dark hallway before creaking his door closed. Next he went to his large closet and checked it thoroughly before shutting that door as well. A quick glance beneath the bed was called for next, just to be safe.

After all that was done, Sage moved to his dresser drawer and pulled out a large candle and a set of matches. He was well aware how silly and childish he was acting right now. But if all this preparation bought him a good night sleep, it would be worth it. After lighting the candle, Sage once again ventured to the other side of the room and flipped off the light.

The room was instantly bathed in the gentle, golden glow of the candle. Sage smiled as he looked around his room. He no longer felt threatened or scared now. Here he could be safe. There was a sudden creak from somewhere behind his door and Sage booked it for his bed. He dove under the protective sheets and pulled them up over his head. After a moment of cowering under them, he slowly peeked out.

His room was as silent and nonthreatening as before. Soft shadows hung in the corners and danced gently as the candle flame flickered. Everything was quiet and at peace. Sage allowed himself a deep breath as he took a moment to relax his tense muscles. What was he so afraid of?

A sudden breeze came out of no where and snuffed the candle out. Now back under his sheets, Sage allowed himself a small whimper. It was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter Three: Dance With Me

Demons in the Doorway, Monsters down the Hall

Chapter 3: Dance with Me

Robyn stared at the board as the math professor continued to rattle on about this factor and that radian without showing any sign of stopping. The large circular object on the board meant nothing to her. It was surrounded by all sorts of numbers of pi and degrees that seemed to pop up like magic without any rhyme or reason.

Rowen glanced over to Robyn's befuddled expression as she shook her head. Her eye brows had risen far beyond her hair line and her mouth was hanging down in her lap. He chuckled and leaned over to her.

"Lost?" he whispered in her ear.

"So much it's not even funny," Robyn breathed, still staring at the board like it was her death sentence.

The bell rang and all the students gathered up their stuff while the professor barked out instructions to finish the next chapter in their text books.

"Are you doing anything after school?" Rowen asked as he stood and gathered his books. "If not I could come over and help you out."

"Oh would you?" Robyn asked thankfully. "I really need to pass this class."

"Sure, no problem. We're all getting together later tonight anyway, aren't we?"

"As far as I know."

"Okay, then we'll work on this right after school, your house?"

"Sounds good, see you later," Robyn replied as they headed off in their different directions for their next classes.

* * *

"Dude! Tonight is going to be sooo cool!" Kento raved after school was over. Robyn, Ryo and Cye were the only ones at the usual meeting place thus far. "You're going to love it Robyn, we'll show you all the coolest places to be! It'll be a blast!"

"Mm...can't hardly wait," Robyn replied calmly. She was chewing on her pencil like she had been doing all day while looking through her math book. "By the way Cye, Rowen's coming home with us."

Cye raised an eye brow at her. "He is? What for?"

"To help me with my trigonometry homework. That is, unless you think _you_ are more qualified..."

Cye squeaked shrilly-trigonometry was such a naughty word in his book. "No, no, no! He's more than welcome to come over and help you!"

"Good," Rowen grinned as he and Sage walked up to them. "I wouldn't want to impose."

Cye frowned as Rowen leaned closer with that cocky grin of his. The blue haired boy always had a knack for getting in his face like that. Whenever these two argued, it wasn't good natured teasing like Cye with Kento, it was usually a bit more heated.

"Well come on then," Kento said as he twirled his keys around his finger. "Some people are still on a schedule here, ya know." Everyone started to gather up their things in preparation for their departure. "Hey, everyone's meeting up at the restaurant at six, right?"

"Sure are," Ryo grinned as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Is Mia coming, too?" Sage asked.

"She had better," Kento grinned. "I invited her. See you two later."

Ryo and Sage departed off their separate ways while the rest of the group headed for Kento's jeep.

"Who's Mia?" Robyn asked. "Does she go to our school?"

"Nah, she's a bit older than us," Rowen explained. "But still a good friend of ours."

"She's cool, you'll like her," Kento nodded.

"I call shotgun!" Cye suddenly spoke up.

"Not if I get there first," Rowen grinned as he sprinted for the dirty vehicle. With a cry of protest, Cye was right on his heels.

Kento and Robyn kept their usual pace while the former chuckled to himself.

"Suckers."

"What?" Robyn wanted to know.

"The doors are locked," Kento snickered.

A collective "Nooo!" came from the two boys when they couldn't pull the door open. A second later both were back to arguing who should get the front seat.

"I called for it first!" Cye yelled.

"Well I'm taller, I can't fit in Kento's dinky back seat!"

"Maybe we should just let Robyn have the front," Kento said to the boys' displeasure.

"Maybe you should make them both sit in the front," Robyn joined in.

Everyone cringed at that suggestion. Rowen didn't want to sit closer to Cye than he had to. Cye wondered who would be sitting on whose lap if they did. Kento was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to let those two share the back seat, let alone the front. Robyn simply found the mental picture of the guys sharing the front seat very comical.

But as it turned out, they still had to play by the rules and Cye had called for it first. Rowen wasn't too happy about being scrunched in the back but he made up for it by jabbing his bony knees into the back of Cye's seat the whole ride.

"Kento, make him stop," Cye whined.

Rowen punched his seat extra hard and Cye suddenly turned and attacked. He would have gotten Rowen, too, if he hadn't been firmly strapped in by his seat belt. Rowen stayed just barely out of reach as Cye swung wildly. All of Torrent's threats just made him laugh and kick the seat again.

"Hey!" Kento threatened as he tried to drive and swat at them both at the same time. "Don't make me pull this thing over, man!"

Luckily, they had arrived at the Mouri residence before further problems could accumulate.

"Alright, now get out!" Kento barked.

The two boys grumbled as they climbed out of the jeep.

"Good grief, and people say I'm immature sometimes," Robyn confided to Kento. "I thought I was the only one who knew how to push Cye's buttons like that."

"Nah, I think Rowen's got ya beat there," Kento grinned. "See you later tonight."

"Later Kento, thanks for the ride."

* * *

Inside the Mouri house, things were starting to calm down a bit. Cye had moved into the kitchen to brood and find something to snack on while Rowen and Robyn sat around the dinning room table. After much arguing and cursing the unit circle, with Rowen's help, Robyn was beginning to understand the assignment.

"Okay Rowen, now what is the inverse cosine of the sine of negative pi over six?" Robyn asked.

"Look at your unit circle," Rowen coaxed.

"Aww, come on. Can't you just once tell me what the answer is?"

"Can't you just once do a problem by yourself?"

Robyn suddenly jumped up from her chair and grabbed the extra long lock of hair between Rowen's eyes. "Tell me now, dangit!"

Cye looked up when he heard Rowen's cry of surprise. The thin young man looked like he was having some kind of heart attack as his arms failed wildly. One would have thought Robyn had a more sensitive body part in her clutches than just Rowen's hair from the way he was acting.

"TWO PI OVER THREE! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! IT'S TWO PI OVER THREE!"

With a grin of triumph, Robyn released her hostage and quickly scribbled down the answer. "Thank you sooo much buttercup," she cooed sweetly.

"You're welcome, sugar dumpling," Rowen's voice was dripping with sarcasm as he fixed his hair.

Robyn chuckled as she turned to the next problem. After a second of looking at it she decided she couldn't do it and dropped her pencil aggravatedly.

"I'm hungry, maybe that's why I can't concentrate. I need a sandwich. Want something to eat Rowen?"

Rowen shrugged as the redheaded girl got up and moved to the kitchen. There was always plenty of food in the Mouri household. Always enough to make any kind of sandwich one could think up. Especially as of lately since Robyn had proved to be very much of a sandwich person. Cye was forced to share the counter space as Robyn pulled out the bread and a large jar of super chunky peanut butter.

"Woa, that stuff will give you a heart attack," Rowen counseled.

"Not yet it hasn't," Robyn replied as she spread a hefty helping of peanut butter onto her bread.

Rowen shook his head and set about making himself a healthier ham and cheese sandwich. However, he couldn't help but smile as he continued to watch Robyn compile her peanut butter sandwich. Each stroke of the knife was like she was painting a masterpiece. She placed the second piece of bread on top carefully, eyes open wide with wonderment; as if this were the last sandwich she would ever eat and it had to be perfect.

"Ta da!" she exclaimed when her sandwich was finished. "Perfection at its finest."

After taking a moment to admire it, she snatched it up and took a messy, peanut buttery bite. Then she started dancing to silent music while she chewed.

"What are you doing?" Rowen asked as he finished making his own sandwich.

"The happy sandwich dance," Robyn replied before taking another bite and resuming in the dance. Her voice was muffled with peanut butter as she continued to explain. "Thee? Firss you taka bite an then you do thith with yo' sanwith."

She started around the counter with a mock Egyptian type dance; head bobbing, one hand still clinging to her peanut butter. Halfway around she did a full circle on her toe, giving an encouraging "Come on Rowen!" before continuing the rest of the way around the counter.

Rowen just looked at her funny and shook his head. There was no way he was going to do that. Good grief, it was just a sandwich! But Robyn did not seem to care as she reached the spot where Cye was perched on his stool.

"And then you get over here and you offer Cye a bite."

She then shoved her snack in the brown haired boy's face. Cye almost backed right off his stool in attempts to avoid the high calorie mess.

"Get that away from me! Ah!" Cye screeched, his arms pin-wheeling as he struggled to keep the balance of his stool as it threatened to topple over.

Robyn started laughing so hard she choked on her own sandwich and was forced to lean over the sink as she tried to laugh and cough peanut butter out of her air passage at the same time. Rowen, in all honesty, wasn't faring much better. Cye regained his composure and regarded her indignantly.

"Serves you right," he sniffed.

"Well it sounds like someone *cough, cough* needs to *cough* lighten up," Robyn tried to say.

"It's not exactly an easy thing with both you and Rowen giving me a bad time," Cye sulked.

"Hey! Watch what you say Cye! Don't make me sing the "Fishes" song!"

"What's the "Fishes" song?" Rowen wondered.

"Not the "Fishes" song! ANYTHING but the stupid-"

"We like fishes 'cause they're so delicious!" Robyn suddenly sang out.

Cye let out a pathetic whimper and dropped his head on the counter top. Meanwhile, Rowen was once again trying to choke back his laughter. It was then Robyn decided to show Cye some pity for the first time that evening.

"Aww, I'm sorry Cye," she said as she moved next to him. She crossed her arms over the folded arms already cradling his face. She moved her mouth close to his ear so he would be the only one to hear the conversation.

"I've been mean Cye, can I make it up to you?"

"No," he pouted from beneath his arms.

"Oh come on. Anything you want, just name it."

"No. Just, just forget it."

"I'll make you a sandwich," Robyn suggested enticingly. "Or you can have half of mine."

"I don't want your stupid sandwich."

"How about Rowen's stupid sandwich? You've seen how I deal with him. I can make him give it up."

Besides a few mumbles, Rowen couldn't understand what was going on. Cye's shoulders shook when he started to chuckle and then his head came back up, a newly placed smile on his face. Robyn gave him a friendly squeeze before setting out to finish devouring her snack.

Rowen, without knowing it, gave a smile of his own as he watched the two. It seemed they had been on each other's last nerve when Robyn had first arrived. But lately something different had happened. There had always been something about Cye, something that showed in his eyes. Something that seemed to weigh deeply inside of him. Often when Cye was with Kento it seemed to relieve that burden. But with Robyn in the picture, it was more than just a temporary relief, it was like the weight on his heart was disappearing altogether. Rowen had to admit, this seemed to be what Cye needed. And now was the time for Rowen to be happy for him.

"Hey Cye," Robyn spoke up through the silence. "Now do you want half of my-"

"NO!"

* * *

The Golden Dragon was one of the best eating spots in the city and the amount of customers it brought in each day proved that fact. The place was full as usual-everyone talking, laughing, and eating over the best Chinese food money could buy. Bus boys were racing back and forth with practiced grace in their sharp uniforms as they carried their full trays around the large room. In the back, it was just as hectic in the kitchen. Mama Faun, along with two other hired chiefs, were bustling back and forth over large pots and skillets. Every tantalizing smell imaginable wafted through the air as the food hissed and boiled.

The cooks were so busy worrying about feeding their customers they didn't notice the door in the very back creek open. Three teens stepped in. The two boys looked very at ease with their entrance while the shorter girl seemed a bit hesitant. While passing on some full plates to the next busser, Mama Faun finally noticed them. Her eyes opened wide at the sight of the new guests.

"Ah, my boys have come back to me!" she cried as she threw her arms around Cye and Rowen and pulled them up into a collective hug.

Mama Faun was a stout woman with height pushing the line at the five foot marker. Her jet black hair, streaked with flower and other spices from the kitchen, was pulled up in a tight bun. She had bright silver eyes, high cheekbones, and a grip of steel.

"Mama Faun," both boys returned affectionately as they let her hug them. Neither seemed in the least bit embarrassed as this open show of affection even though both would have probably been acting different if it was their own mother. Robyn was impressed with this. Maybe there was hope for these two after all.

"Rowen, Cye, I've missed you two so!" Mama Faun released her catch and smiled at them. "You never come visit me any more."

"We're sorry," Cye grinned.

"You know we would if we could," Rowen added. "You know we're sure at your guys' house a lot. If you would just stay home every once in a while-"

"Now Rowen Hashiba, don't you start with me," Mama wagged her large spoon at him. "You know I couldn't give this up, it's my life and I-oh my goodness! Who is this sweet child here?"

Robyn made a mental face at herself as the dark haired woman addressed her. That was not something she was used to being referred to. For some reason it really, really didn't seem to fit.

"Mama, this is Robyn," Cye introduced. "She's staying with us during the school year."

"Ah, so this is Robyn. Kento's mentioned you before."

"And I've heard tons about you Mrs. Faun," Robyn grinned. "Everyone says I haven't lived until I've tried your cooking."

"Is that what they say? Well, how about you go see for yourself," she winked at her. "And please, call me Mama, all the others do."

"Yo Ma!" Kento called as he carelessly slung a plate onto the counter. "Some yutz at table seven says you didn't cook this enough. Want me ta go rough him up?"

"Well, everyone except that ruffian," Mama mumbled. Robyn giggled.

"Hey, what are you saying about me?" Kento demanded.

"Only good things," Mama replied.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Kento grinned sarcastically. "So can I go now Ma? You said I could when the guys got here."

"And what makes you think we came to see you anyway?" Cye grinned. "Not when there's prettier faces to see over here."

"Oh! What a sweetheart!" Mama Faun hugged Cye again. "Now why can't I have sons as sweet as you. Food's on the house tonight!"

"Suck up," Kento replied to Cye's smirk. "What a friend. Makes me look bad in front of my own mother."

"So what do you kids plan on doing tonight?" Mama asked.

"We're all meeting here for dinner and then we're going to show Robyn the town," Kento explained. "So can I please get off work now?"

"I supposed so," Mama Faun replied good naturedly. "You kids head up front and we'll get you something to eat. It was nice meeting you Robyn," she added as the group headed out of the kitchen to the eating area.

"You too," Robyn called with a smile as she followed Rowen and Cye out.

"Kento," Mama grabbed her son before he could leave. "You make sure that girl gets some food in her. Poor thing's practically skin and bones."

"Alright Ma," Kento said, tolerant of his mother's worries. He kissed her on the cheek before joining his friends.

The four of them had just barely seated themselves when Ryo arrived. Though usually late for most things, the bearer of Wildfire made it a point to always be punctual when there was food involved. The group of now five took the large, round booth in the corner so there would be room for all of them. Going clockwise, the seating was Kento, Cye, Robyn, Rowen, and Ryo.

It was already a little after six and the group was still waiting for the last two members. Kento, driven to the point of near insanity from all the wonderful smells, announced it was their own fault for being late and that he was going to order now. Being normal teenagers, the rest of them were practically starving as well and they all eventually agreed.

The orders were placed and when the food was brought to them there was still no Mia or Sage. So with a collective shrug, the group dug in. Kento and Rowen, as usual, were practically inhaling their food. Cye daintily picked at his food and ate it calmly while Ryo ate with the same grace, only with practiced speed. As for Robyn, she was not too familiar with oriental dishes. Kento had practically ordered everything for her and she was now making it a point to try everything on her plate before digging in.

It was then the two stragglers finally walked in together. Sage was dressed slightly neater than the rest, as usual. At his side was a tall, slender woman. She looked slightly older than the rest with bright, beautiful eyes, full lips, and long brown hair. Dressed in a fashionable skirt and blouse, she walked with natural grace next to Sage.

"About time you guys got here," Kento said between mouthfuls.

Mia grinned. "And here I was worried about you guys waiting for us."

"Well you are a half an hour late," Kento argued.

"Yeah, what kept you guys anyway?" Cye asked.

"That's my fault, I'm afraid," Mia admitted. "My car broke down at the last minute. Sage was the only person I could get a hold of to give me a ride here. I'm really sorry everybody."

Sage put a hand on her shoulder and smiled for the first time since he had come in. "You've been apologizing ever since I picked you up. Don't worry about it Mia."

"Yeah, come join us," Ryo invited as he scooted closer to Rowen to make room.

"Mia, this is Robyn," Cye introduced. "I'm sure Kento told you about her."

"Yes," Mia nodded as she sat next to Ryo. "Hi Robyn, I'm Mia Koji."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you."

Robyn didn't return the greeting with the same enthusiasm. Someone was watching her. She looked up and locked eyes with Sage. There was that look again. That same intensity was still there. But so was something else. Anxiety? Fear? Something in those eyes triggered familiar emotions and Robyn's stomach flip flopped at the recollection of them. What was he hiding? What happened to him to put such emotions in those eyes?

The trance was broken as Sage sat down next to Mia. But Robyn still hadn't gotten over what she experienced. As the two new arrivals ordered she absently stirred her food while deep in thought. The food, the people, the noise-they all disappeared as Robyn's mind wandered deeper into her subconsciousness.

"Not hungry Robyn?"

The red haired girl lifted her head at the sound of her name.

"Huh?"

Kento had been watching her and now there was a questioning look in his dark, boyish eyes.

"Is there something wrong with the food?"

Robyn looked at her plate as if seeing its contents for the first time. "Oh! Oh no, no. It's fine! It's really good!" She took a bite to prove her point. "How rude of me, sorry! Sometimes my mind just goes."

"That's an understatement," Rowen muttered to his plate.

Unfortunately for him, Robyn was sitting right next to him.

"I heard that!" she said as she punched his arm.

Rowen retaliated by jabbing his pointy elbow into the ticklish spot on her side. Robyn jumped in surprise, nearly sliding right out of her seat and taking Cye with her.

"You two grow up!" the bearer of Torrent ordered.

Rowen responded by nearly bowling over Robyn as he reacher over to shove the ice from his drink down the back of Cye's shirt.

"Food fight!" Kento sang. He flipped a spoonful of rice in Rowen's face while Cye continued to shriek girlishly and dance around in his seat as he tried to retrieve the ice from his shirt. Robyn was already tossing more ice at Kento while Rowen was loading the remnants of his meal onto his spoon.

"Ready! Aim! Fire!"

"I think that's our cue to find a new table," Sage announced calmly as he stood up.

"Definitely," Mia agreed as she followed.

"As much as I like a battle," Ryo added, "I think I'll stick with you guys this time."

As the three moved off to a safer table, a small war broke out in the corner of the Golden Dragon Restaurant.

* * *

"Man, I'm still picking rice out of my hair!" Robyn whined as she continued to comb her fingers through her strawberry strands. The group of seven was currently strolling down the city sidewalks. It was now dark outside and all the city lights flashed brightly above them.

"It makes you look like you've got head lice," Kento jeered. "Kooties! Kooties!"

"Oh hush up, you don't look much better. You've still got noodles hanging out your shirt collar."

"I still can't believe you guys got us kicked out of the restaurant," Sage shook his head. "I don't think I've ever seen such a display of childishness in all my life."

"Apparently, neither did Kento's mom!" Ryo laughed. "Did you see the look on her face?"

"Before or after she started clubbing Kento with that spoon of hers?" Rowen grinned.

"Hey shut up!" Kento yelled. "I'm not the only one who got in trouble, remember? I'm also not the only one who had to help clean up."

The group muttered a chorus of "Yeah, yeah's" as they continued on down the street. After a moment of walking Cye tugged on Robyn's wrist.

"There it is Robyn, the one place you've been dying to go."

"Yay! The mall!" Robyn cheered with elation.

"I take it you didn't have one in your old town," Rowen grinned.

Robyn shook her head. "Brother, we didn't even have a Wal-Mart. It was a sad, small town."

"Woa, I bet!" Kento said with wide eyes. "Let's get you inside quick girl! Hurry!"

Robyn laughed as Kento pulled her towards the large building. The rest of the group followed with now higher spirits.

The Toyama Mall was packed with people as most malls usually go. For the first five minutes the gang meandered around the different shops, not really having any place particular anyone wanted to be. They soon made it to the food court and Kento's mouth began to water. He hadn't been able to eat his fill at the restaurant since he got kicked out prematurely. Cye saw the familiar look in his eyes and grabbed his sleeve to make sure Kento stayed with the rest of them.

"Not now," Cye warned.

Kento relented to his friend's orders and sighed in defeat.

As the group was moving past the food court, they passed one of the mall workers who was cleaning up quite a gross looking spill on the floor. One had to wonder how such a mess could have been made.

"Kento, look at the mess you made," Robyn said teasingly. "I told you to go before we left."

Mia almost jumped when next to her, Ryo snorted loudly at the comment.

But Kento didn't seem to be offended. He grinned widely and replied "Sorry Robyn, I couldn't hold it any more. I had to go!"

A few more chuckles rose up from the group while Cye just shook his head. How did he get mixed up with such goofball friends?

"Now remember Robyn," he started to say later on. "Mom gave us extra money so you could go out and buy some—Robyn?"

He turned to find the red haired girl missing-along with both Rowen and Kento.

"Hold up guys, he called to Ryo, Sage, and Mia who were a few steps ahead of him. "We're short some people."

A bit of backtracking discovered the three lost souls in a book store- of all places. Rowen was flipping through a few novels while Kento and Robyn were hunched over the magazine rack. Closer investigation showed both had an issue of National Geographic and were flipping wildly through the pages.

"Well this is you," Robyn said as she pointed to the picture of some ugly, old mummy remains someone discovered.

"Oh yeah? This is you," Kento retorted as he shoved a picture of a crusty looking gorilla in her face.

"Oh yeah? Well this is you," Robyn replied, pointing to the rear end of a water buffalo.

"Hey," Rowen said, interrupting their argument. "This is both you guys."

Kento and Robyn paused to look at the novel Rowen was holding. It was called "Waves of Passion" and on the cover it has a perfectly figured man and woman kissing passionately on the beach. The tide was coming in around them and the two looked about ready to rip each other's clothes off. Robyn and Kento stared at it blankly for a moment.

"Oh yeah?" both called at the same time and immediately began flipping through their magazines again.

"This looks like Rowen."

"No way, this is better."

"Ewe! That's gross! But it does look like Rowen! What about this?"

"No, this looks like Rowen."

"Now way, it's not ugly enough."

"Hey you guys-" Cye called out but was cut off by Mia.

"Let them go," she smiled gently. "We did come here to have fun, didn't we?"

Cye shrugged and Mia went off to check out a few books for herself. Cye soon followed after her and found himself enthraled by a beautifully illustrated marine picture book. Ryo and Sage remained in the store's doorway. The former casually reached for the nearest magazine and flipped through it.

"Hey Sage, look at this. It looks like-"

"I'm not going to look Ryo," Sage informed him. "So don't even start."

* * *

"Robyn," Cye approached her after almost an hour of browsing through stores. "Mom did give me strict instructions not to come back until you've bought some new clothes."

"Oh that's right, isn't it?" Robyn's face fell. "I hate shopping for clothes." She sighed and then let her spirits lift again. "So who wants to go shopping with me then?"

All the guys heard the announcement and quickly pointed to Mia who, in turn, did not look very appreciative of their actions. Robyn just shrugged in apology.

"And while you guys are doing that, I'm going to kick Cye's butt at the arcade!" Kento announced.

"Oh? You and what army Kento?" Cye retorted. "We'll see who wins."

"You're on!"

Cye and Kento ran off to the arcade with Ryo close behind claiming rights to challenge the winner. Rowen and Sage, with nothing better to do, followed after them.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me then," Mia said.

Robyn shrugged. "Guess so. I hope you don't mind. It's not like I'm thrilled about shopping for clothes with a bunch of guys anyway."

Mia laughed lightly. "I totally understand. Come on. I know this great store over on the third level. This way."

The boys were granted a forty-five minute slug fest before the girls returned.

"We're back!" Robyn sang as she approached Ryo and Rowen hunched over one machine. The two boys grunted in reply, never moving their eyes from the screen as they tried to kill each other's characters.

"It's about time you got back," Sage said as he approached, followed by Kento and Cye. "I hate the arcade."

"How can you say that after you just beat Kento?" Cye grinned smugly at his scowling best friend.

"I don't get it!" Kento exclaimed. "The guy never plays. But when I finally manage to talk him into a match he whoops my butt! It's a terrible injustice I tell ya! A conspiracy!"

"I think it's just because you're a lousy player Kento," Ryo chided from his game.

"WHAT?"

"Speaking of lousy playing," Rowen grinned as the screen announced he had won the match.

Ryo just shrugged. Win or loose, it didn't matter much to him.

"So anyways, back to me," Robyn quickly cut in. "Check out my new cargo pants I got. I'm going to wear them for the rest of the night."

Everyone looked at the new pair of pants Robyn was wearing. They were an off-white khaki color, quite baggy on her and pockets everywhere.

"Holy cow! Where did you pick up those things?" Ryo wondered.

"I like them!" Robyn beamed. "They're too cool."

"They also have too many pockets," Kento pointed out. "Look at them all!"

"Yeah Kento," Rowen grinned. "You'll have to take off your shoes and socks just to count them all."

"What is this, Pick On Kento Day?"

"Robyn, I don't think that's what Mom had in mind when she sent us shopping," Cye put in.

"Relax, I got a bunch of other stuff to keep her happy. Look." She presented the shopping bags that held the rest of the clothes she had purchased.

"Okay gang, so what are we going to do now?" Ryo wondered.

"First we should probably find a place to put all these bags so we're not carrying them around for the rest of the night," Mia, who had purchased a few things herself, suggested.

"Right," Kento nodded. "We'll go stash the stuff in my car and then we'll-"

"Hold on, we lost Robyn again," Rowen stated as he looked around.

"Dude! Cool sunglasses!" she called from a near by store.

Cye sighed. "We're never going to get out of here," he whined.

"Ryo, Ryo, come here!" Robyn called excitedly.

The dark haired young man complied to her wishes and approached her side.

"Try these on," she ordered as she practically put the glasses on for him. She stood back to admire her selection. "Woo, very nice Ryo. You look really good in those. They're perfect for you. Doesn't he look way sexy with those glasses Mia?"

Ryo looked her way at the mention of Mia's name. The tall brunette could only blush and look down. All the other guys jeered and teased. Ryo didn't seem to mind as he continued to smile brightly. He also ended up buying the glasses.

* * *

"And now for the highlight of our evening," Kento announced. The group had long since discarded their mall findings in Kento's jeep and were now standing outside a brick building. It had only one small window where flashing multicolored lights shone through and the heavy base of music reverberated out into the streets.

"This is the place to be, huh?" Robyn asked.

"Oh yeah!" Kento rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Cye and I always come here on weekends to pick up chicks."

Robyn immediately cracked up at the comment.

"What?" Cye demanded. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing. It's just the mental image of you guys trying to-" Robyn laughed again as she slapped Cye on the back. "Man, it's just been too long. Last time I saw you we were building forts in your back yard and now you're picking up girls. It's hard to get used to."

"Well what about you?" Cye grinned as the group started to move inside the noisy building.

"Sorry Cye, I don't pick up girls."

"And we're all grateful for that Robyn."

"Shut up Rowen, nobody asked you."

* * *

The place ended up being a lot more fun than Robyn had initially thought it would be. At one end of the room was a long counter for people to sit at and order from. Tables were stationed all over the place and most of them were filled with people chatting and laughing happily. At the other end was a dance floor where everyone moved and danced at their own accord to the live local band playing on the small platform at the front. The atmosphere was loose and casual. One did not have to know how to dance to fit in-much to Robyn's relief. She soon noticed that most of her friends didn't know much what they were doing either. Mia seemed to be the only one who had any rythem. But everyone was having fun.

At least Robyn was having fun until Kento decided to play keep away from Ryo-with her. The warrior of strength had her draped around his neck as he weaved through the crowd. Ryo was close behind him, trying to grab Robyn's ankle while she kicked and struggled to get free.

"Sorry!" she called to the third person to get hit with her foot as Kento whirled around. "Kento, you moron! Everyone's getting mad at us! PUT ME DOWN!"

"Huh?" Kento paused as Robyn tried more earnestly to slip out of his clutches.

"I'm not your little keep away toy!" Robyn yelled above the music. She had managed to slide out until her head was dangling around his waist. But Kento still had hold of her ankles and he looked like he had no intention of letting her go.

"KENTO!"

It was then Ryo finally took pity on her and helped her escape Kento's grasp without conking her head on the floor. She could hear the two boys still laughing at her as she readjusted her pocketed pants and skulked off to the safety of the counter for a little while. She looked along the rows of strangers and spotted a familiar blonde head. She went up and approached the tall young man at the counter.

"Have you been here all night?" Robyn asked Sage.

Sage casually turned around, leaning his back against the table so he could watch the dance floor.

"Pretty much," he replied, not looking at her.

Robyn quirked an eye brow at him. "Why? All your friends are out there having a good time. Don't you want to join them?"

This time it was Sage's turn to raise an eye brow at her. In the background they could both hear Kento war whooping while Cye was shrieking his name for whatever reason.

"Okay, I see your point," Robyn admitted. "But still, I think you need to lighten up every once in a while."

Sage made a disagreeable grunt and looked away from her. Robyn bit her lip as she watched him.

"You don't like me much, do you Sage?" she finally asked.

The blonde youth returned his piercing violet eye back on her. His lips were drawn in a tight line as he mulled the question over.

"I hardly know you," was his only reply.

Robyn nodded her head in understanding. She could deal with that. Sage was turning to retreat to some other secluded spot where he could lurk; but Robyn still hadn't finished her say. She took a step after him and promptly slapped her palm full on his backside. Sage stiffened and jumped in surprise. His single eye was wide but then narrowed in anger at the person who dare commit such an act. He whirled around and glared at the girl who had put him in such a dishonorable position. But Robyn was already meeting his glare with a look of her own.

"I said to lighten up," she informed him curtly before turning on her own heel and parading off in another direction.

Sage shook his head and gave her an odd look before proceeding the opposite way.

Robyn, who still wasn't hot with the idea of going back to the hectic dance floor yet, took sanctuary near the end of the bar. She leaned her back against it with her elbows resting behind her and idly watched the bouncing bodies on the dance floor.

"Hey Robyn."

Robyn looked up at the unfamiliar voice calling her name. A tall young man around her age with dark hair and hazel eyes came up to her.

"Your name's Robyn, right?"

She nodded to the stranger. The young man grinned in return.

"Yeah, I thought it was you. We have second hour together, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Robyn grinned. "I thought you looked familiar. You're always with those guys in the back making noise."

"That's me," he laughed. "I'm Hiroshi Yumi."

"Robyn McCarthy," she replied as she shook his hand. "Nice to meet ya."

Hiroshi nodded as he looked her over. "Hey, nice pants," he said not all too sincerely. "I hope you don't plan on wearing those to school. You'll get laughed right out of town."

Robyn shrugged at the threat. "I don't care what anyone says. I like them and that's all that matters."

Hiroshi smiled, seemingly impressed with the answer.

"So, are you here with some friends?"

Robyn shrugged again. "Yeah, more or less. It's Cye and his buddies. They wanted to show me the town and stuff. They're around here...somewhere."

"Hey Robyn!" Kento called out as if on cue. "Check this out! Sage is busting a move, ya gotta see this!"

With interest to its peak, Robyn took off after Kento. "Later Hiro," she called over her shoulder.

In the middle of the dance floor, a huge crowd had gathered. The music blared loudly, but it couldn't drown out the cheers and the whistles of the people standing by. Kento grabbed Robyn's wrist and pushed his way into the crowd, pulling her with him. With a bit of hustling on Kento's part they made it past the droves of on lookers and Robyn was finally able to see just what everyone was watching.

It the midst of all the noise and lights was Sage tearing it up on the dance floor. With shirt part way unbuttoned and hair flying, the blonde young man was wowing the crowd with his stunning array of dips and jumps and spins-a barrage of every dance style known to mankind. The boys howled and cheered while the girls screamed and fanned themselves. But there was not a single pair of eyes that wasn't riveted on the spinning, swinging body in the middle.

One pair of eyes was especially bright as they watched the show. Mia always loved it when Sage danced. She had been well aware of his talents for a while now. Sage was such a wonderful and talented dancer. But it was so very seldom one could convince Sage to get out and show off. He was always so quiet and never one to flaunt himself. Mia had to wonder just what possessed Sage to suddenly get in front of this large audience now.

"Oh wow! That guy is so hot!" Mia heard the girl next to her say to her friend. The other girl nodded.

"You just don't find guys who can really dance anymore. Oh! That just really turns me on!"

"That's my friend," Mia boasted to them.

The girls smiled back at her, but she could see the jealousy in their faces. Mia just beamed. One of the many perks of being the only female member of a group of five guys. Five very good looking guys, Mia thought to herself with a smile.

The heavy music ended abruptly and the crowd cheered and applauded. Though no group was making more noise than the collected whoops and whistles of Ryo, Rowen, and Cye. Sage halted with the music. He was winded from the exertion; his chest heaved and his hair stuck to his slightly moist forehead. Sage was quick to sweep it out of the way.

Mia was cheering for Sage. She was about to run to him when he suddenly turned in another direction. She watched in surprise as his eyes settled on a certain red haired girl and Mia couldn't help but feel her cheeks grow slightly red as jealousy filled her.

Robyn, who's mouth was hanging open most of the time, was quick to compose herself as Sage turned to her. He gave her a slight bow of the head with a facial expression that basically said "I showed you". With a shake of her head, Robyn smiled and started clapping with the rest of the crowd. Satisfied he had gotten his point across, Sage marched back out of the crowd, his friends and a handful of swooning girls following behind him.

* * *

The trip back to Mia's house was a silent one. But then again, going on any trip with Sage always was. He was never that much of a conversationalist. Not that Mia minded much. Being around the rowdy group of boys taught her to treasure what quiet moments she got. Often times she was content to just sit next to Sage and bask in the silence. But somehow, Mia wasn't sure why, but the silence in the car that night was somewhat uncomfortable. Mia decided to break it.

"That was fun tonight, don't you think so Sage? It's good to have us all together like that."

"Hn," Sage replied with a nod, though he didn't look like he was paying much attention.

There was silence for another moment. Then Mia tried again.

"I thought it was neat how you got out and danced like that. You really surprised me."

Sage only nodded vaguely in return. His eyes were directed on the road but his mind seemed to be focused elsewhere.

"Sage, is something bothering you?"

"Huh?" Sage looked at her as if noticing her for the first time. "I'm sorry Mia, what did you say?"

"Nothing," Mia sighed.

Sage took that as an acceptable answer and once again turned his gaze back to the road. Mia sat in her seat and sulked a bit. She didn't like being ignored. In her head, the earlier scene of Sage ignoring her to bow to Robyn kept replaying itself. She remembered how jealous she had felt. She didn't mean to be, it just happened.

"So what do you think of Robyn, Sage?" Mia wanted to know. "She's quite a...different person, isn't she?"

Sage scrunched up his features at the mention of the young redhead. "She's too pushy," he announced. "And she talks too much."

Mia tried to hide her smile. She knew it was horrible, but hearing Sage say that actually made her feel good. It was nice to know she wasn't the only one taken in by the new comer. Unfortunately, it looked like the other guys were already captivated with her antics.

The car stopped as they reached Mia's house outside town. Sage got out to open the door for her and they both walked together to the front porch.

"Thanks again for the ride," Mia smiled. "And be sure to thank everyone for inviting me. It's so nice of you guys to include me on your nights out."

Sage smiled at her. "We still consider you part of the team Mia. Always. Good night."

"Good night Sage."

Sage turned back to his car as Mia walked inside. She smiled to herself as she closed the door behind her, once again feeling lucky to have known Sage and the others. She crept to the window and peaked out the curtains to watch Sage drive away. "Always" he had said. It made Mia feel good to know she was still thought of even after their encounter with the dynasty was all over.

_After going through all that, I suppose we'll always be a part of each other, _she thought to herself. _Always._


	4. Chapter Four: The Getaway Plan

Chapter Four 

"Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall"   
By Ghost of the Dawn 

Chapter Four - The Getaway Plan 

    It was second hour and Robyn was doing her best to pay attention to the work she was given. But the class was so boring and it was still early. Robyn found herself nearly falling asleep every thirty seconds. She hated classes in the morning. This always happened. Now if only she could have some peace and quiet so she could catch a few winks. Unfortunately for her, the group of boys which always sat in the back were making their usual ruckus.     "Man, I don't get this new calculator my parents bought me," one boy was saying while another tapped a rythm on his desk with his pencil. "This stupid thing has too many buttons. All I want to know is what forty-seven times sixty-three divided by two is."     "Here, lemme see," his friend said as he snatched it away. "Woa, look at this thing. Looks more like some computer. Why'd your parents get you this thing anyway?"     The other shrugged. "I dunno, they must think I'm smart or something."     "Hey, go ask Rowen Hashiba how to work it. He knows everything." It was Hiroshi Yumi who spoke next.     Robyn had met him the weekend before at the dance club the guys had taken her to. Her attention to the conversation was given at the sound of the familiar voice and the mention of Rowen's name.     "Heh, yeah," another boy agreed. "Hashiba thinks he's better than everyone else just because he takes those stupid college classes."     The boy with the calculator made a face. "I'm not asking him. I hate that guy. Just 'cause his old man's a genius he thinks he's so cool. I'd love to give that arrogant bastard a punch in the face."     "He thinks he's so great," Hiroshi agreed. "But he's really just a big loser."     Robyn raised an eyebrow as she secretly listened in on the conversation. The pit of her stomach churned as she heard what was said about her friend. How could they say such things? Rowen wasn't like that, was he? True, she didn't know him very long, but he didn't seem like the kind of person they described him as. Was it really true?     The bell rang and the boys' conversation stayed with her as she journeyed to the college for her next class.     "Robyn," Rowen called as he caught up to her. "Trying to beat me to class, huh?" He grinned at her.     Robyn put on a smile that wasn't completely sincere. "Yeah, I didn't want to be seen with you."     She instantly blanched as those words came out of her mouth. She always joked with Rowen and the others like that. But after saying that she felt no better than those boys in the back of her second period.     Rowen didn't seem to notice as he just laughed and kept the joke going. "Yeah, I know. Being seen with me is so embarrassing. I wouldn't want to ruin your image."     Robyn didn't answer this time and the conversation dropped. The two entered the classroom and took their seats. The professor started in on the day's trigonometry lesson, but Robyn paid less attention than usual to it. She kept glancing at Rowen while her mind mulled over what was said about him earlier. She worried about it all hour and into the next.     In fourth hour, however, she soon forgot her worries when she and Kento passed degrading stick pictures of Mr. Kuroda back and forth. Robyn almost got Cye in trouble when she showed him a particular picture Kento drew of their history teacher picking his nose. Cye had let out a large snort which earned the gaze of several of the students and an extremely dirty glare from Mr. Kuroda. Cye didn't appreciate that one bit. Kento was just glad the teacher didn't demand to see what had caused it all.     The bell rang for lunch and Robyn found herself in her usual high spirits as she headed off with her friends. Kento was by her side. Both were still laughing about the pictures they did and how funny it was when Cye disrupted the class. Cye, who walked behind them with Sage, still didn't think it was all that funny.     "Rats," Robyn announced as she fished through her backpack. "I left my lunch in my locker. I'll meet you guys outside, okay?"     "Kay," Kento called as Robyn rushed off the other way. She reached her locker and fumbled through the combination she was still trying to memorize. After a few moments, she managed to get it open and snatched the paper bag sitting on top of her books.     "Hey, foreigner!" a horribly familiar voice called through the crowd.     _Crap, it's Min again,_ Robyn thought. _What the heck does she want now?_     "I got a few more words to say to you," Miniko announced as she marched up to her, black hair bouncing.     "Imagine my delight," Robyn mumbled as she shut her locker and turned to face the taller girl.     "I saw you with Sage the other night at the club," Min huffed. "I told you, he's mine."     Robyn scrunched her eyebrows and gave her an incredulous look. "What is this? Do you, like, stalk this guy where ever he goes?"     Min huffed as she struggled for a good come back. "Look, just stay away from him, okay? Or you'll be sorry."     Robyn held her peace as Miniko turned on her heels and sauntered off. She wondered what Min would do to her if she found out she got to slap Sage's butt. A smile found its way to her lips as the thought entered her head. Robyn chuckled to herself as she headed off to rendezvous with her friends and never gave another thought to what Min had said.     She stepped outside and started over to their usual spot by the tree but she could already see that no one was there. Odd.     "Hey Robyn!"     There was no mistaking Kento's voice. Robyn smiled as she whirled around and saw the group sitting at one of the tables instead.     "They just watered the grass," Ryo explained as she approached.     "Took you long enough to get here," Rowen teased as he fished out his lunch from the brown paper bag he had.     "Late but worth the wait," Robyn grinned as she sat next to Ryo. Rowen snorted but was ignored by Robyn. She opened her lunch bag and started rooting through it. "Ah, my favorite," she announced as she pulled out a sandwich. "Food." She then started in on her lunch with much enthusiasm.     Kento was giving quick glances to Cye and then Robyn, looking a bit agitated. "I'm going to ask her," he finally said in a hushed voice.     "No, Kento, don't ask her," Cye hushed him.     "I gotta know. I'm gonna ask her."     "Ask me what?" Robyn leaned forward so she could see the two bickering boys.     "It's nothing, Robyn, don't listen to him," Cye tried frantically.     "No, I wanna know! Robyn how come-" Kento insisted.     "No, Kento, don't be rude!" Cye tried to cut him off.     "But I-" Cye tried to put a hand over Kento's mouth but that only succeeded in making the larger boy annoyed.     "Cye," Robyn warned and he looked up at her. "Don't make me sing the "Fishes" song again."     Ryo looked up in surprise as Rowen suddenly broke into laugher. Cye only sulked as he let Kento free to ask his question. "Robyn, do you have an eating disorder?"     Cye groaned and hid his head in shame as Kento belted out what was on his mind. Robyn, whose sandwich hung aloof in front of her face, paused to raise an eyebrow at him. The others at the table hardly reacted to the question. It was apparent this was the topic of their discussion before she had arrived.     "What the heck are you talking about?" Robyn finally asked.     Cye was now praying to the powers above that they would send down lighting, falling trees, anything that would silence his loud mouth friend. But no such luck. Kento continued to push his point.     "Well, look at you! You look like a strong wind could just blow you right away. We know you're not anorexic because you're eating all the time. Do you, like, go and puke all that stuff up in the bathroom somewhere?"     Though the others tried not to look it, they were all interested in the answer to that question and all eyes were on Robyn as she mulled over the accusation. The young redhead chewed on her lip and looked off somewhere above her in thought.     "I sure hope not," she then replied. "That would be such a waste." She then proceeded to take another large bite of her sandwich while digging through her bag to see what else there was to eat.     But Kento's curiosity still wasn't satisfied. "Then how do you stay so skinny with an appetite like that?"     Robyn lowered her gaze on him, looking slightly irked now from all the questions. "Well I wasn't always this skinny. Let's just say that back in the States I didn't have anyone to make a school lunch for me."     Kento nodded, though he wasn't sure exactly what she was talking about. His question thus answered, he turned back to his own lunch, as did the others. Cye was the only one looking at Robyn now. There was a hint of wonderment on his face and perhaps even... regret?     "Besides," Robyn said as an afterthought. "Rowen is skinnier than I am. Get after him."     "I am not!"     "Whatever, stick boy! You're about as big around as my thumb. You look like you're made of toothpicks."     This started in a shouting match between the two about who was thinner. But it didn't last long as Kento broke it up.     "Hey, you guys, knock it off," Kento yelled louder than both put together. "Listen up, okay? All you guys are invited to my house tonight for dinner. Ma's got a surprise for us."     "She's actually cooking at your own house?" Rowen asked with certain awe. "Woo! I'm going!"     "Me, too!" Ryo agreed.     "That's right, you all better come tonight," Kento ordered. "No excuses."     "So what's the big surprise?" Robyn asked after she had polished off her sandwich.     "It's a secret," Kento grinned with a wink. "You won't know unless you come. I better see every one of you there by six."     With everyone's curiosity at their peak, not a single one of the group could hardly say no. Each planned on making it, if anything, just to find out what Kento's big surprise was. 

***** 

    Sage proceeded at a leisurely pace to his sixth hour class. Creative writing was always one of his favorites. It was a small class, never too noisy and the teacher was quite excellent. Sage had always been one of few words, but when it came to writing he was a master of the written language.     Sage loved to write and had received high marks in every English class he had taken during his whole school career. He had a surprisingly high vocabulary for one who didn't say much and he was currently at the top of his class. Here was a place for him to relax for he was in his element.     The blonde young man took his usual seat, one desk back, one to the right and fished out his portfolio in preparation for class. The last of the students filed in as the bell rang and the teacher, Mrs. Matsuo was about to start class when a shorter, chubby man came and mumbled something to her.     They talked to each other for a while. Mrs. Matsuo finally nodded her head and the other man left.     "Okay, class," she began. "It looks like we're getting a new student who will be joining us for the rest of the year."     She motioned to the door and who should step in, but none other than Robyn. She had kind of a reluctant look about her as she seemed to almost drag her feet towards her new teacher.     "Everyone, this is..."     "Robyn," Robyn prodded in a small voice.     "Robyn," Mrs. Matsuo repeated. "We're just starting our poetry section this week. Hopefully we'll be able to get you caught up with the rest of the class real quick. Sage?"     "Yes ma'am," Sage replied.     "I take it you already know Robyn?"     Robyn gave him a look as if she wasn't sure how he'd reply to that question. "Uh, yes, ma'am," Sage said.     "Good," Mrs. Matsuo smiled. "Robyn, take the seat next to Sage and he'll help you get caught up."     "Okay," Robyn said as if she wasn't sure it was such a good idea. She trudged over to the desk pointed out for her and slouched in her seat, not looking too pleased with her current situation at all. She was starting to pull out her already-battered notebook with little flowers and butterfly doodles when a small wad of paper pegged her in the back of the head. She looked behind her to see where it came from and was even less thrilled when she saw Min off to the side.     The taller dark haired girl mouthed some threat to her but Robyn never was good at reading lips. She just wrinkled her brow at her and gave her an odd look. Min matched the look with a threatening glare of her own. Robyn shook her head, she wasn't in the mood to mess with this conceited snob. She turned around and idly scratched at her cheek with her middle finger so that only Min could see it. Robyn's attention was turned back to her notebook so she didn't see Min's vengeful gaze beating down on her.     "You don't look too excited to be here," Sage commented out of the blue.     Robyn looked up when she realized it was her he was addressing. "Huh? Well no, not really. I mean, I've already got enough homework from my college class, the last thing I need is extra work trying to catch up to this one."     "Then why are you in here?"     Robyn blew her bangs out of her eyes in an annoyed fashion. "I dunno. We had this writing assignment due last Monday. The teacher read it and decided I was too smart for the lower writing class and stuck me in here." She shrugged and pulled out a pen so she could doodle a little bee buzzing around on her notebook cover.     "Well, if you need any help, I guess you can ask me."     "I guess," Robyn replied and went back to scribbling in her notebook. 

***** 

    The doorbell rang. A pair of dark pigtails swished around a cherubic face as small feet bounded down the stairs. Seven year old Chun Fa's face was all aglow as she raced towards the front door. "Is Cye here yet? Is Cye here yet?" she asked her older brother excitedly.     Kento smiled at her as he opened the door to let in their guest. "Nope, sorry, Channy. It's only Ryo this time."     The little girl stuck out her lower lip in disappointment and went to go off and sulk by the window so she could keep a watch outside. Ryo raised an eyebrow at her retreating form as he shut the door behind him. "Boy, I sure feel loved now," he joked.     Kento dismissed his little sister's actions with a wave of his hand. "Come on, Ryo, we both know Channy's had this little... crush, or whatever you wanna call it on Cye for sometime now." He kept his voice low so only Ryo would hear.     Ryo nodded his head knowingly. He had seen how Chun Fa always followed Cye around when ever they came over. Kento led the way out of the foyer and into the main room where Sage and Rowen had already arrived. Both were lounging on the couch, idly discussing this and that. Ryo sat down and was immediately brought into the conversation. On the other side, Kento's thirteen-year-old brother Yunis sat quietly in a chair next to the lamp and read his book.     "Yeah! Cye's here! Cye's here!" Chun Fa could be heard squealing from the other room. She jumped off her perch by the window and ran to the door, flinging it open before the brown haired young man behind it even had a chance to knock. "Cye!" Chun Fa announced with glee and immediately glomped onto his right leg.     "Hey, Channy," Cye greeted, ruffling her bangs affectionately. The little girl just clung tighter and Cye was forced to drag her with him as he stepped into the house.     "My, what friendly greetings," Robyn commented as she following in after him.     "Yeah, well, don't expect me to do the same for you," Kento said with a smirk as he approached.     Robyn snapped her fingers in mock disappointment. Chun Fa looked up at the new person Kento was talking to and gave a skeptic glare to the strange girl. "Who is she?" she demanded.     Kento put a hand on the red haired girl's shoulder. "This is Robyn. Remember, I told you about her. She's living with Cye's family. Robyn this is my little sister Chun Fa, or Channy if you'd like."     Robyn looked down at the little girl still clutching Cye's leg. She had a round face and big round blue eyes just like Kento's. Her hair was also the same color as his and was tied up in short little pigtails at the top of her head. "Hey, kid," Robyn greeted as she bent over to be closer to the little girl's height. Chun Fa only buried her face in Cye's pant leg and hugged him tighter. Robyn and Kento exchanged looks and the latter shrugged.     "Hey, looks like the gang's all here," Ryo announced when he appeared in the doorway.     "Great," Kento rubbed his hands together happily. "Now we can eat! Come on, you guys, we set up a table out back so there'll be room for everyone. This way."     Kento led the way through the main room, passing Yunis who was still reading quietly, through the dinning room and out to the back porch. This led to a small back yard with newly cut green grass. Two picnic tables had been placed together and covered with several large table cloths. Places were set all around while Mama Faun and a taller man with brown-black hair, Mr. Faun, we moving in and out of the kitchen to get the food set on. Cye was the last one out, tolerantly taking a stubborn Chun Fa as he went.     "Everyone's here now," Kento proclaimed to his parents. "When do we eat?"     "In a little bit," Mama Faun replied. "Go get your brothers. As soon as we're all together we can start."     "Right," Kento turned and headed back for the door. He poked his head inside and yelled. "HEY, YOU GUYS!! MOM SAYS IT'S TIME TO EAT!!"     Mama Faun shook her head at her son's display. It was obvious that wasn't what she had intended. Mere seconds later a noisy blur of colors rushed out of the house.     "Woo hoo!" Ten year old Mei Ryu whooped as he burst into the yard. "Ryo!" He immediately flung himself on the black-haired teen's back, knocking him over.     "Hey, you little monster!" Ryo retorted playfully and the two proceeded to laugh and wrestle in the grass. Mei Ryu was dressed in baggy shorts and a T-shirt with Pokemon monsters printed on the front. His dark brownish black hair was styled similarly to Kento's but was unkempt as rowdy little boys go.     Soon after, the door was opened again and Yunis stepped calmly outside. He didn't really look a thing like Kento and the rest of his siblings. His face and eyes were more angular than round. His hair was straighter, neatly kept and a dark brownish black shade like his father's. Yunis quietly surveyed the scene before him and went to take a seat at the table without a word.     Several more minutes passed and they still were not all there. The food was all ready and Mama Faun was growing a bit impatient. She walked over to the back door and called inside with a quieter, less demanding voice. "Rinfi, we're waiting on you. Please come on down so we can eat."     It was still a minute or two more before fifteen year old Rinfi, with arms folded over his stomach, stepped out the door. He looked exactly like Kento's younger copy save his dark bluish hair was styled different. A pair of round glasses perched on his up turned nose and his expressions held that of boredom and slight annoyance.     Mama ignored his gloomy attitude and cheerfully called everyone to the table. Rinfi took a seat next to Yunis. Rowen and Sage sat down next followed by Robyn and an eager Kento. Chun Fa let go of Cye long enough to let him sit down and she sat next to him, a big smile on her round little face. Ryo was the last one in with a still hyper Mei Ryu under his arm.     "Oh boy! Dinner time!" Kento said enthusiastically as he reached for the nearest plate of food. But Mama Faun was quick to slap his hand away.     "Kento, have you introduced Robyn to everyone?"     Kento gave her an exasperated but pleading look. "Mo-om!"     "Kento," his mother warned back.     Kento sighed. "Fine. Robyn, meet Channy, Yunis, Mei, Rinfi." But he didn't stop there and continued on. "Cye, Rowen, Sage, Ryo, Mom, Dad, Kento. Can we eat now? Please? I'm starving!"     Mama Faun looked into her son's pleading eyes and finally gave the word. They all dug in. Everyone was quiet at the table for a time as they filled their plates with Mama Faun's delicious meal. All those present at the table currently seemed occupied with their own plates and thoughts except Chun Fa who was preoccupied with Cye and Mei Ryu who kept looking at the red-haired girl across from him.     "Are you really from the United States?" he finally asked.     Robyn hardly looked up from her plate as he spoke. "Nope, I'm from here. But I lived for several years in the United States."     "Wow," Mei marveled. "What's it like there?"     This time Robyn stopped to look at the ten year old. "Well, it depends on where you go. Some places are always hot and some places are always cold. There's really wet places by the ocean and miles and miles of desert further inland. In Alaska, the sun goes down for several months at a time."     "Have you ever been there?" Mei continued to ask with wide eyes.     "No, but I've been other places. Up East around New York and those places it's like one continual city from state to state. Kind of like some places in Japan. But in other states, like Wyoming, there's nothing at all! I drove through it once. It's like flat land and a stretch of highway, that's it. I think Wyoming must mean 'no state here' or something like that."     Robyn was rewarded with a few chuckles from her last statement. Cye was once again giving her his usual confused look when she mentioned anything from her past in America. "Robyn, I was unaware you traveled so much," he stated.     Robyn shrugged. "Well, I knew I wasn't going to stay there forever so I might as well see the sights before I go."     That answer seemed to satisfy Cye's curiosity but Chun Fa was frowning now that Cye's attention was no longer on her. "Cye, I drew a picture yesterday. Ya wanna see it?" she asked.     "Sure, Channy, I'd love to," Cye replied with a kind smile.     "Yay!" Chun Fa started to climb out of her seat but was stopped by her mother.     "You can show Cye after we eat, okay?"     "Aww..." Chun Fa pouted as she remained in her seat. Cye playfully ruffled her hair which seemed to lift her spirits and she went back to eating her dinner. All remained quiet again until Rowen cleared his throat.     "Um, I'd hate to ruin any surprise you guys might have planned, but I have to admit I'm awfully curious as to what this is all about."     "Yeah, Ma," Kento instantly agreed between his mouthful of food. "Can I tell them now?"     Mama Faun looked around at the teenaged faces, all looking at her and brimming with curiosity. "Oh, all right, Kento."     "Cool! You see guys, We've got this little cabin thing out on the coastline. We've had it forever and Ma and Pop wanna sell it. But they said we could all camp out there this weekend before it goes up for sale. What do you all think?"     There was a small span of silence before anyone spoke. "I think it's great," Ryo said.     "Yeah, a whole weekend by the sea, I'm in," Rowen agreed.     "Me, too!" Cye added. "Sounds like fun."     "Mia couldn't make it to dinner, but she will also be there," Kento's father added. "You guys need a chaperone."     "Aw, Dad, ya know we'll be good," Kento grinned.     "Still, it's nice to know she'll be there as well," Kento's mother replied. "At least this way Robyn won't be the only girl there." Robyn quirked her mouth to the side at that comment and went about eating her food.     "I still don't see why I can't go!" Rinfi suddenly spoke up. "Kento gets everything! It's not fair!"     Mama Faun sent her second oldest a warning look. "Now Rinfi, we talked about this. While Kento's gone you can have friends over here."     "It's still not fair! Just because Kento's the oldest he gets to do anything! You never do anything like this for me!"     "Rinfi," his mother said tolerantly. "That's enough or you won't even have friends over here."     "Fine!" Rinfi growled as he punched the table. He got up and stormed into the house, slamming the door behind him.     Mama Faun sighed tiredly and everyone resumed their dinner in a less comfortable atmosphere. 

***** 

    Dinner finally ended and Kento's parents stayed behind to clean up. Yunis quietly lent a helping hand though it took more than a few times for Mama Faun to get Kento to help as well. While they were doing that, the rest of the boys had started a soccer game in the yard with Ryo, Sage, and Mei Ryu on one team and Cye and Rowen on the other. Robyn, who insisted she was too stuffed to run around, sat on the porch and watched. She laughed at the boys' antics on the field and winced as Rowen and Ryo both charged for the ball and ended up plowing into each other.     It was then that the four boys decided to dismiss the younger from the field so they could proceed with jungle ball rules. Mei Ryu whined for a moment as they asked him to get off. But in the end he was glad when he saw how much the four boys were tripping, kicking and running over each other. "Woa, when they play soccer, they play for keeps," Robyn commented as she watched the heated game.     "No kidding," Mei replied as he stood next to her. Both closed their eyes as Cye went flying head first over Ryo and landed in the dirt. "Man, I'm really glad I'm not playing that anymore."     As the two watched the gore fest, little Chun Fa was keeping a skeptical eye on this redheaded intruder that was now living with her Cye. She approached the older girl timidly and finally sat down on the steps beside her before Robyn noticed she was there. "Hey," Robyn greeted as she glanced at the little girl.     Chun Fa looked at her for a minute before she spoke. "Are you Cye's girlfriend?" she asked.     Robyn looked back down at her, now giving Chun Fa her whole attention. "What?"     "Are you Cye's girlfriend?" she asked again.     "Channy," Mei scolded.     But Robyn merely gave a crooked grin and chuckled. "Nope," she replied.     Chun Fa furrowed her small brow in thought. "Are you Kento's girlfriend?"     "No again."     "Do you have a boyfriend at all?"     Robyn returned her gaze back to the game and answered casually. "Nope, I'm a lesbian."     Mei Ryu instantly burst into laughter and quickly moved his hands to cover his mouth. Robyn grinned in spite of herself while Chun Fa still looked confused.     "I'm done," Kento announced as he bounded out of the house. He paused as he noticed the four dirty, panting boys in his yard. "Hey, who said you guys could play jungle ball without me?!"     "Relax, Kento, I think we're done," Sage, who had managed to stay the cleanest, said as he walked up to him. The other three followed. Rowen looked completely out of breath while Cye was limping and Ryo was nursing a nasty grass burn on his elbow.     "Well, come in, guys and I'll show you what this place looks like," Kento called as he went back into the house.     The four boys plus Robyn went in after him and followed as Kento led the way up the stairs. Along the way Robyn made a comment about the size of the house so Kento took the initiative to show her around as they went. The upstairs consisted mainly of a long hall, three bedrooms, and a bathroom.     "What's in there?" Robyn asked as she pointed to the closed door at the end of the hall.     "Oh, that's just our... other room," Kento said, not knowing how to explain it. "Come see."     He opened the door for her and switched on the light. The room was medium size with some weight lifting equipment in one corner and an old fooze ball table with most of the little plastic men taped together in the other. Off to the side was a smaller door which led to a closet-like room used as a storage space for games, videos, and decorations. "See, not much," Kento said. "Let's go to the attic, I'm sure we've got a picture of this cabin somewhere."     They walked back down the hall to where a rope was hanging from the ceiling. Kento tugged on it, pulling down a wooden case of stairs leading to a higher level. The gang all climbed up with Kento still in the lead.     About this time, little Chun Fa, who was left in the back yard, remembered her picture she had promised to show Cye and ran off to her room to get it. She rummaged through her drawer of crayons and paper and finally found what she was looking for. She bounded out of er room towards the retractable staircase, but paused when she noticed the door to the room at the end of the hall had been left open.     She stood stalk still, eyes wide. The yawning darkness from across the hall seemed to capture her, calling to her with an unearthly voice. 

***** 

    "Don't you guys ever dust up here?" Cye asked as he sneezed from all the dust floating about up in the attic.     "Give it a rest, Cye," Kento said as he dug through some old boxes. "Anyone hardly comes up here as it is."     As Kento searched, the rest of the group milled about. Sage discovered an old cracked mirror covered in cobwebs. He gazed curiously at his dusty reflection as Rowen popped up behind him wearing a large, feathery hat. "Hey Sage, is this totally me or what?" Rowen asked in a girlish voice.     "Get that off," Sage retorted as he snatched the hat off his head and tossed amongst another pile of junk.     "Here it is, guys," Kento called from his corner. "Come take a look." The group huddled around Kento and peered at the black and white picture he had in his hand. It was of a younger version of his family standing in front of a quaint little cabin by the seashore. "That's where we're going, guys," Kento announced proudly.     "Man, how old were you in that picture, Kento?" Ryo asked.     "Oh gee, like seven or eight."     "So that's you?" Robyn asked, pointing to the oldest of the little boys in the picture. "Who's that little kid beating you up?"     "That's Rinfi," Kento muttered while the others chuckled. "He's a lot meaner than he looks. Then my dad's holding Yunis and my mom was pregnant with Mei Ryu."     "Looks like a nice place, Kento," Cye said. "I can't wait to go."     Kento grinned in reply. "With it right by the seashore, I'm not surprised, buddy." He put the picture away and then turned back towards the stairs. "Let's go talk about the details over dessert."     No one could disagree with that suggestion and they all trooped out of the attic, putting the stairs back up as they left. "Come on, Shorty," Kento said as he snatched up Chun Fa, who had been staring down the hall, by the waist and tucked her under his arm.     It took a while for the little girl to realize what had happened before she started struggling out of her brother's grip. "Put me down, Kento!" she whined. But Kento waited until he reached the kitchen before releasing his captive.     "So just how far away is this place?" Sage then asked.     "It's about a three hour drive. That's why we're selling it, because it's so far away," Kento explained. "We're gonna have to leave right after school if we want to get there before dark."     "Great, a long road trip with the four of you," Cye teased.     Kento grabbed his head and gave him a playful noogie. "Always the optimist, aren't we, Cye?"     "Cye! Cye!" Chun Fa called as she tugged on his hand. "Look at my picture I drew!"     Cye took the large piece of paper from her little hands and looked at it. It was a colored picture of two stick figures - one with brown hair and one with dark blue hair - holding hands and smiling. They stood in front of a little house with windows and over them was a smiling sun and a rainbow in the sky.     "Oh, that's very nice, Channy; is this.. .me?" Cye asked.     Chun Fa beamed. "Yup! And that's me and that's our house when we go live together."     Cye's cheeks flushed slightly as he was all too aware of Kento snorting over his shoulder while the others snickered a bit more indiscreetly behind his back. Robyn was fighting so hard not to laugh she had to sit down at the table and cover her face with her arms.     "Well ah, thank you for showing that to me, Channy," Cye said politely, if not a bit embarrassed. "Why don't you go put it back in your room now?"     "No way! This is my best picture ever!" Chun Fa argued excitedly. "I'm going to put this up on the fridge!"     The laughter was even louder now as Chun Fa marched proudly up with her picture and attached it to the fridge with a large magnet for everyone to see and admire. Cye's cheeks went even brighter as he sat down at the table. Robyn patted his hand sympathetically though she was still trying to stop laughing herself.     "All right, boys," Mama Faun announced, coming to Cye's rescue. "Who wants fresh pie and ice cream?"     For a moment everything was forgotten in the light of the wonderful dessert. But as they sat around the table to eat, every once in a while someone would catch a glimpse of the brightly colored picture on the refrigerator and the whole thing would start all over again.     The bowls were almost empty as Rowen was the first to get up from his seat and put his dirty dishes in the sink. Mama Faun was still cleaning up in the kitchen when the blue haired boy turned to her.     "Do you have any aspirin or anything?" he asked quietly. "I think I'm getting a headache."     "Sure thing, Rowen," Mama Faun replied as she reached into a cabinet and produced a small white bottle. "Here you go."     Rowen thanked her quietly and quickly downed two of the pills. No one else seemed to notice this, except for Sage who watched his friend with a raised eyebrow and then turned back to his ice cream as if he hadn't noticed. 

***** 

    It was late at night as Kento saw all his guests out the door. Each one expressed their thanks for the meal to Mama Faun and gave Kento hearty good-byes as they stepped out. The Faun household instantly grew a notch quieter as the five teens departed their separate ways. Rinfi and Mei Ryu were already up in their rooms working on homework or whatever it was that was deemed the most important thing to do at the moment. Yunis was in the kitchen quietly cleaning up the last of the dishes. Chun Fa was the only one who stuck around to bid farewell to Kento's friends - or at least to Cye. After the door closed she ran over to the front window and watched the group proceed down the sidewalk.     "Well, that was fun," Mama Faun commented after they had gone.     "Sure was," Kento grinned. "Thanks, Ma."     Mama Faun smiled appreciatively as her oldest son gave her a large hug. "Well, with thanks like that, I don't mind doing this kind of thing once in a while." She turned to her daughter still sitting by the window. "Come on, Channy, time for bed."     "Aww..." the young girl whined. "Can't I stay up a bit longer?"     Mama Faun walked over and picked her up in her arms. "It's already long past your bedtime as it is so I don't want to hear another word."     "Okay," Chun Fa drudgingly agreed. She paused and then looked at her mother curiously as she was carried up the stairs. "Mom?"     "Yes, dear?"     "What's a... lesbian?"     Mama Faun was shocked to say the least. Kento, who heard the question from where he had flopped down on the couch, burst out laughing. 

***** 

    "Cye, I know I'm new in this town, but I don't think this is the way to go home," Robyn pointed out.     Cye regarded her with a sly smile. "I know, but there's something I want to show you first."     "Oh boy," Robyn replied, giving him a sarcastic smile.     "Oh, come on, Robyn, it's not so bad," Cye winked at her. "Don't you trust me?"     "I'll answer that after we get home," Robyn replied. She withheld any further complaints as Cye led her down one street and then another. They eventually arrived at a large building complex and Robyn regarded it curiously.     "Cye, where the heck did you take us?" she wanted to know.     There was a certain gleam in Cye's eye that Robyn had never seen before. "You'll see," he smiled as he took her wrist and led her on. Robyn allowed herself to be pulled, even though it was through a hole in a metal fence surrounding the building.     "Cye, I get the feeling they put up that fence for a reason," Robyn said in a worried voice.     "Relax," Cye countered as he led her across the small span of open ground to the dark building. "I do this all the time."     "I'm starting to wonder about you, Cye."     "Sh-h-h," Cye quieted her gently as they reached a dark, locked door. He paused to reach into his pocket to pull out a small brass key. Then he proceeded to put it in the lock and turn the doorknob.     "Where did you get that?" Robyn hissed.     "Stole it," Cye grinned.     "YOU WHAT?!"     "SH-H-H!!" Cye silenced her again. "I know the guy who owns the place. He gave me the key, okay?"     Robyn still didn't look too convinced. Cye pretended not to notice as he pulled her inside and shut the door behind them. The building was very dark inside. The only source of light came from a series of dim blue light bulbs than panned down a dark, metal hallway. The air smelt damp and salty and the humming of generators sounded in the stillness. Robyn edged closer to Cye as she looked the scene over.     The sandy-haired young man just gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I know this place inside out."     Robyn didn't look too sure and decided she had best keep a firm hold on Cye's sleeve to make sure she didn't run into anything in the dark. They continued on, Robyn nervously watching each shadow, unsure of what she was going to find there. Further down, the walls changed form from flat titanium snaked with metal pipes to convex glass walls holding in large amounts of water.     "Water tanks?" Robyn mumbled to herself as she put a hand on the cold glass.     The thin body of a six foot long shark darted out in front of her and then swam away. During the day it might have been a fascinating experience for most people, but it startled Robyn. She gave a small cry of surprise and stumbled away. Cye chuckled as he caught her.     The red haired girl gave him an unappreciative look. "Why didn't you just say we were going to the marina?" she demanded.     "I wanted it to be a surprise," Cye responded simply. "This is one of my favorite places to be. I go here alone sometimes to think." He took a deep breath and inhaled the musky scent. "I feel relaxed here."     Robyn just shook her head. "I'll never understand you and sea animals," she mumbled. Then a little louder, "Cye, you know how I feel about... deep water." She eyed the shark tank again and moved a step back.     Cye furrowed his brows. He had almost forgotten about Robyn's small phobia. "It's okay, Robyn," Cye assured her as he pulled her further down the hall. "We're not here to go swimming or anything. I just want you to meet some friends of mine."     Robyn sighed and allowed herself to be tugged along down the dark hall. They finally stopped at an exceptionally large tank and Cye stepped forward, tapping softly on the glass. Within seconds a large killer whale swam up and rubbed its massive body against the glass, making a deep rumbling sound in the back of his throat. Cye grinned at the display.     "Robyn, I'd like you to meet George."     Robyn laughed. "His name is George?"     Cye threw up his hands defensively. "Hey, I didn't name him. He's not my killer whale. Come on."     He once again grabbed Robyn's wrist and led her around the tank and up a flight of metal stairs. They ended up on a platform at the mouth of the tank. Cye squatted down and dabbled his fingers in the water. The large sea mammal was instantly at the surface to greet him. "There's my bud," Cye greeted as he rubbed the whale's rubbery skin. George opened his mouth and squeaked and rumbled - almost like a cat's purr - while Cye rubbed his tongue.     Robyn made a face at his actions. "Cye, that is so gross," she informed him.     "What?" Cye wondered. "Killer whales like to have their tongues rubbed."     "Yeah, so they can get a taste of you," Robyn muttered.     "Come on, Robyn, come down here and pet him."     "No way, Cye, I'm not touching that thing!"     "Come on, scaredy-cat. He's not going to hurt you."     Cye gently grabbed her hand and placed it on the whale's nose. Robyn had a look on her face that was a mixture of disgust and intrigue - like she wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel. She allowed her hand to stay there for a moment but then stood up and wiped it on her pant leg.     "I'm done now," she announced.     Cye gave her a lopsided grin and shook his head. "Fine. Just give me a few more minutes and then we'll go."     Robyn nodded and while Cye continued to pet and talk to George, Robyn quietly made her way back down the stairs. Cye hadn't even realized she left until he stood up and looked around after he was done. A bit more damp than when he had gone up, Cye descended the stairs and looked around for his female friend. He found her with one hand clutching her jacket collar as she stared silently through the glass of another tank. She was watching a lone bottlenose dolphin as it swam slowly - almost sadly in the water. Robyn could see Cye's reflection in the glass as he came up behind her.     "He doesn't look too happy," Robyn stated, referring to the dolphin.     "He just arrived here a few days ago. He's still adapting to the new environment."     "I don't think he likes it here," Robyn replied, not moving her eyes from the tank.     "He's better off here," Cye insisted. "I myself would like to see all these creatures released into the wild. But with them being born into captivity, they just don't have the instincts to survive out there. I know personally they take good care of the animals here. He'll always have plenty to eat and clean water and lots of room to swim."     Robyn pursed her lips as Cye went on. She closed her eyes and took a breath before whirling around to look him in the face. "But Cye, it's just not the same!" she insisted with a certain tone of frustration in her voice.     Cye regarded her with confusion. "Robyn, what are you talking about?"     "It's not the same to merely have everything you need," Robyn continued with passion in her voice. "Not when you don't have any freedom. To know that no matter what you do or how great you seem to have it where you are, you can't change it." She turned and looked back at the tank, setting her hand on the glass as if trying to touch the animal inside. Her voice lowered to a whisper as she spoke. "Sometimes I feel like that. Like this is it. Like there's nothing I can do to change anything and everything is stuck the way it is."     There was a span of silence as Cye attempted to interpret what she was trying to say. "Robyn?" he spoke softly. "What happened to you back in the United States?"     Robyn closed her eyes at the question. "A lot," she breathed.     "I thought you were supposed to stay with your cousins until you were eighteen."     "That's what I thought, too. But as it turned out, I couldn't stay there long."     Cye took a step closer. "You couldn't stay there? Robyn, what did you do?!"     Robyn spun around, hurt and bitterness clearly written on her face. "Cye, it wasn't my - you don't understand!"     Cye grabbed her shoulders. "Then tell me, what happened?"     Robyn shook her head and suddenly threw her arms around his waist, burying her face in the front of his shirt. "Please don't ask me," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I promise, you'll know sometime but please don't ask me to tell you right now."     Cye suddenly felt helpless from her quiet pleas and he instantly faltered. "Okay," he said as he touched her shoulder. "I'll let you tell me when you're ready."     Robyn pulled away and nodded, her head hanging down in shame for acting like that in front of her friend. Cye put and arm around her shoulder and led her away, waving good-bye to George before they started off for home. 


	5. Chapter Five: Magic Beneath the Moon

Chapter Five 

"Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall"   
By Ghost of the Dawn 

Chapter Five - Magic Beneath the Moon 

    "I'm still not sure I want you to go, Robyn," Mrs. Mouri repeated for the fourth time as she paced and fussed about Robyn's room. Robyn, for her part, just ignored the older woman's fretting as she continued to pack her travel bag for the weekend. They had all been looking forward to this trip to the beach house ever since Kento had announced it three days ago. And Robyn for one was not going to miss it no matter what Cye's mother said.     Cye had already finished packing his things and they were waiting by the front door for when Kento dropped by to pick the two up for school. He could hear his mother berating Robyn for ignoring her. The sandy-haired young man shook his head. Sometimes his mother fretted over the silliest things.     "Relax, Mom," Cye said as he walked into Robyn's room. "We're just going for the weekend. And we'll all be there to take care of Robyn if anything happens. And it isn't like she's going to be the only girl there. Mia's coming, too. You know she's very responsible."     "Yeah," Robyn decided to join in then. "So it's not like I'm going to get gang-raped or anything."     Both Cye and his mother's eyes went wide at Robyn's comment. Robyn zipped up her travel bag while Mrs. Mouri turned and walked out of the room. The wide-eyed expression on her face never wavered.     "That girl is the bluntest person I have ever met," she mumbled to herself. Cye, who had heard what she said, chuckled.     "That got her to leave me alone," Robyn snickered.     Cye gave her a tolerant look as he came in to lean against her bed post. "Really, Robyn, some of the things that pop out of your mouth - I just don't know about."     Robyn slung her stuffed bag over her shoulder and shrugged with a smile. "Hey, whatever works," she defended as she slipped past him and out down the hall.     The doorbell sounded soon after and Cye could then hear Kento's voice resound through the house as Robyn let him in. "Hey, Cye, let's get going, you slacker!"     Cye rolled his eyes as he headed for the door. 

***** 

    The day seemed to pass by so slowly for the six teens. Each eagerly watched the clock as the end came near and the last bell finally sounded, signaling their release. Kento ran out of the school whooping up a storm. He had Cye's smaller body tucked under one arm as he jumped down the stairs towards the usual meeting place. Ryo and Robyn were already there and laughing as Cye insulted Kento and tried to worm his way out of the Warrior of Strength's steel grip.     "Pay no attention," Kento advised the two. "He made fun of me in the hall so now he's carry on luggage for the rest of the trip."     "Just because I'm not some muscle bound ox who can lift three times my own weight..." Cye mumbled to himself as he hung there pathetically like a rag doll.     Rowen walked up with Sage and bent over so that his face was more at the same angle as Cye's. "Well look at you," the blue haired boy grinned. Cye's face darkened a shade and he growled.     "Come on, Kento," Robyn said as she tugged on his arm. "Let Cye go, we're all supposed to be having fun here."     "Oh all right," Kento relented as he set Cye down gently on the pavement. "But I hope you learned your lesson, bud."     Cye stayed crouched as he straightened his shirt and then gave Kento a mischievous look. "I'll show you what lesson I learned."     The bearer of Torrent was instantly on top his larger companion. Robyn's eyes went wide in surprise as Cye managed to take Kento down and the two proceeded to wrestle in the grass nearby. The rest hardly regarded the play fight as Robyn stared on.     "Woa, Cye's tougher than he looks! Did you see what he just did to Kento?"     "Mmmhmm," Ryo replied dully as he checked through his bag to make sure he had brought everything. "Come on, guys, remember we still have to pick up Mia, too. Don't want to get to the cabin too late."     Rowen and Sage nodded and picked up their things as well. "Come on you two," Sage called. "There will be plenty of time for that when we get there."     "Oh, okay," Kento relented. Both boys let go of each other, brushed the dirt from their pants, and headed for Kento's jeep with the rest of the group.     All of the gang's travel gear was already packed tightly in the back of Kento's jeep. While the packing in of the teens themselves proved to be quite a tight fit as well. Ryo lucked out in being the first one to snag the front seat while the other four all had to squish in the back. Robyn didn't say anything, but she purposefully planted herself between Rowen and Cye so they couldn't find an excuse to fight with each other on the way to Mia's house.     Mia lived almost a fifteen minute drive away from the city. It was a beautiful two-story cabin - far too big for merely one person to live in. But Mia seemed to enjoy staying in the large house by herself and stepped out to greet her friends with a smile as they drove up. Ryo was the first to return the greeting as he easily slipped out of the front seat.     "Hi, Mia, are you ready to go?" he asked.     "Sure are," Mia replied with a grin. "You guys just load your things into the van and we'll be on our way."     "Will do!" Kento said as he moved for the back of his jeep to retrieve everyone's luggage.     Just then, the remaining teens in the back seat suddenly decided they all wanted out at the same time. Mia and Ryo's attention turned to the noises created by the four strugglers.     "Yo! Lemme out!"     "Quit pushing!"     "Rowen! Get your elbow out of my face!"     "There is another door to get out of, you know!"     "Well, if you're so smart, Sage, then why don't you use it!?"     "I would if it wasn't ON THE OTHER SIDE!! YAH!"     Sage, who was the one originally closest to the door, decided he had enough of the pushing and used all the strength he had in him to shove the other three back. There was a dull thunk as Cye's back collided with the opposite side. Then Sage calmly strode out unmolested, straightened his clothes, and joined Kento in gathering up the luggage and relocating it to the back of Mia's van. The remaining three then easily spilled out with Sage no longer blocking their exit.     Mia shook her head as she watched the display. She never would have guessed her legendary Ronin Warriors could be this childish when she had first met them. In fact, they weren't when she had first met them. It seemed that while Mia got to understand their personalities a little bit during the battle, it was only after Talpa's death did she truly see what kind of people these five young men really were.     Destined warriors or not, they were still teenagers - and quite goofy ones at that. Was it so wrong that they wanted to have fun now that the Evil Dynasty had been vanquished? Certainly not! They deserved to live normal teenage lives like everyone else. But Mia had also begun to notice a subtle restlessness building within the group. They seemed to hunger for confrontation as they continued to insist on bickering amongst themselves. Even if it was all done in good nature it was still there. Was this the way they really were? Or was the fighting nature of their armors, long since been out of use, now influencing their personalities? And with all Robyn's childish antics, she wasn't helping the situation one bit.     But things started to settle down as everyone loaded their belongings into the greyish blue van. The large vehicle wasn't really Mia's. She had traded her jeep for it from a neighbor. It was the only possible way all of them would be able to make the trip using only one car. And as luck would have it, the seating arrangement couldn't have been better if Mia had planned it herself. Sage was the first to call shotgun while Rowen and Kento sat in the middle seats. In the back went Ryo and Cye with Robyn in between them.     The crew all cheered together as Mia started up the van and they proceeded to the main road to start their journey. Forty-five minutes down the road was spent with Kento explaining what the place was like and what they were going to do there. This was followed by idle chatter about school and home as Mia asked the boys what they had been up to lately and visa versa. The talking died down for a while so Robyn decided to start up a sing-a-long in which all the boys in the back joined in with loud voices to the tune of whatever silly song popped in their head. From her place in the driver's seat, Mia was smiling as she listened to the out of tune chorus.     "Care to join in?" Mia asked Sage as she started to sing also to the songs she knew.     Sage only gave her a sideways smile and shook his head. But as he turned to watch out the window, Mia could have sworn she saw him mouthing the words as well.     The sun was starting to set as the group finally reached their destination. Just as Kento had explained it - a quaint little log beach house by the water front. The lawn had long since been reduced to wild weeds from its lack of use but it was still quite a sight to see. Cye, who had started to nod off in his seat, was the last one to see it.     "Hey, Cye, wake up," Robyn said as she elbowed him in the ribs. "We're here."     "Huh?" a droopy Cye asked.     "Yo, dude," Kento said from the seat in front. "Take a look at that."     He gestured to the large, sandy beach spreading out for miles as the waves lapped at the shore. Cye was transfixed as he stared out the window. The bearer of Torrent was starting to get pretty antsy when Mia finally stopped the van.     "So when's dinner?" Kento instantly asked. "I'm starved!"     "Mia," Cye pleaded as politely as he could. He kept taking nervous glances from her to the sea shore as he spoke. "Would you mind getting dinner ready without me? I need to - I mean, I..."     Mia smiled all too knowingly at him. "Not at all Cye, it's fine."     There was a chorus of protests as Cye, who was the farthest from the door, scrambled over everyone in his haste to get out. The second his feet touched ground he was off like a rocket towards the shore, hopping down the sand as he struggled to remove his shoes and socks as he went. His shirt was next to go but he still had his pants on as he dove face first into the frothy surf.     The other boys hardly cared as they all stepped out and stretched from their long ride. Robyn was the only one who watched where Cye had disappeared into the ocean with a puzzled look on her face. "I'll never understand that kid and water," she stated.     Kento just grinned. "He'll be back soon enough. Let's help Mia get the food in so we can eat."     Robyn fully agreed with that suggestion and soon everything was packed into the cabin Within no time, Mia had delicious smells wafting in from the kitchen while the rest of them set about removing furniture covers, dusting things off, and placing clean sheets on all the beds. Dinner was just about ready when a damp Cye stepped inside, shoes dangling in his hands and his shirt draped over his shoulder.     "Feel better?" Ryo greeted when Cye walked through the door.     "Much," he grinned. "I'm going to the bathroom now to change."     "And you can clean it while you're at it," Rowen added as he thrust a pail full of cleaning supplies at him. "We've done everything else."     Cye merely shrugged in compliance. He was in an incredibly good mood at the moment and not even Rowen could do anything to mess that up.     Mia's dinner was delicious and everyone helped clean up afterwards. It was dark now, with the sun's last light barely touching the horizon. The air was crisp and clear and warm. Mia and Cye were finishing up in the kitchen while Ryo, Rowen, and Kento vouched for playing around near the shore closest to the porch light. As Robyn stepped out on the porch she noticed Sage sitting on the steps. He had a book in his hand while bugs flittered around the light bulb above him. A pair of thin rimmed glasses were perched on his sharp nose as he read.     "Hey," Robyn greeted quietly as she sat down on the same step he was.     "Hn," was the only sound Sage made to acknowledge her presence.     Robyn hugged her knees as she watched the three boys toss around Ryo's glow-in-the-dark frisbee on the darkened sandy beach. But her gaze eventually drifted over to the young man sitting next to her. It took a while for Sage to realize he was being watched before he slowly lowered his book and gave her a questioning look.     "I didn't know you wore glasses," Robyn stated simply.     Sage laid the book in his lap as he adjusted the glasses on his nose. "Only when I read, and sometimes when I watch TV," he explained. Robyn nodded, though she didn't stop looking at him. "What?" Sage wanted to know.     "May I?" Robyn asked, motioning to the glasses.     When Sage voiced no objection Robyn reached out and slowly removed the glasses from his face. With them on, both of Sage's eyes could be seen but as they were removed, the thick yellow hair fell back down in place over his right eye. Robyn studied the breakable object in her hands before putting them on herself and gazing around the place as if they would somehow magically allow her to see the world as Sage saw it.     "Do you always wear your hair that way?" Robyn wondered as her gaze once again settled on the Warrior of Light.     "Why?" Sage asked defensively. "What's wrong with it?"     "Nothing. It's just that you really shouldn't hide your eyes like that."     "And why is that?" Sage asked levelly.     "Well, because your eyes are so beautiful."     Sage raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that a come-on?"     Robyn bristled at the cold treatment and stood up, looking down on him with her hands on her hips. "Well, where I come from it's called a compliment."     "Hey, everyone!" Cye called. The tantalizing aroma of warm popcorn floated out as he poked his head through the door. "We got the VCR hooked up. It's movie time!"     "All right!" Ryo yelled from the beach. The three boys wasted no time in dropping their game and running inside.     "I smell popcorn!" Kento declared as he stepped through the door.     "Did anyone bring any headache medicine?" Rowen's voice asked.     Robyn was about to follow when Sage made a sound similar to clearing his throat and put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. He then deftly removed his glasses from her face and placed them on his own. Robyn gave him a crooked grin as she walked inside and Sage followed soon after. 

***** 

    It was still early in the morning as a sleepy eyed Robyn walked tiredly into the kitchen. She was wearing her pajamas which consisted of plaid shorts and a T-shirt as she sat down at the table with a yawn. Her hair was pulled up into a messy braid from that night's slumber but at that point, Robyn didn't care how she looked. "    Morning," Cye sang cheerily from the stove where he was cooking breakfast. He was always an early riser, even despite the fact that the gang had been up late the previous night watching movies and snacking out. "You're up unusually early, Robyn."     "That's because I couldn't sleep with you rattling all those pots and pans down here," Robyn mumbled.     "Sorry," Cye apologized happily. "Hope you're ready for some breakfast."     Robyn gave him a tired smile. "Aren't I always?"     Ryo and Sage came down together next. Both were dressed in sneakers, shorts and T-shirts. "We're going out running, be back later for breakfast," Ryo called as he and Sage headed out the door. Robyn waved them off tiredly before resting her chin on her palm and slowly closing her eyes.     "Robyn, how do you want your eggs?" Cye turned around when he didn't get an answer. "Robyn? Robyn?"     "Huh, what?" Robyn asked as she snapped awake.     "Eggs," Cye repeated.     "Uh, scrambled, thanks," she replied before once again slumping her head tiredly where she sat.     "Here you go," Cye said, setting a full steaming plate in front of her nose.     Robyn appeared to lack her usual fervor for food when it was early in the morning. She mumbled her thanks to Cye and tiredly picked up her fork, slowly nibbling on her eggs with eyes half closed.     There was the sound of thumping feet as Kento lazily descended the stairs. He yawned and scratched himself idly as he lumbered in wearing nothing but a pair of dark greyish blue sweat pants.     "Hey guys," he greeted in a drowsy voice. He paused to gaze out the large picture window. "Man, look at that sky. Today's going to be great."     Robyn looked up, but it wasn't what laid outside the window that caught her eye. It was the muscular, shirtless young man that grabbed her attention first. That was enough to shock her awake and she started choking on her breakfast as a result. Cye, who was surprised at her reaction, patted his coughing friend on the back while giving Kento a dirty look. Kento, for his part, just smirked at Cye and moved towards the stove to see what was for breakfast.     "You okay, Robyn?" Cye asked as she managed to finally clear her air passage.     "Yeah," Robyn mumbled as she finished coughing. "Just... was startled, that's all."     Cye started in on his own breakfast but kept an eye on Kento who was still by the stove admiring the view out the window. The Warrior of Strength grabbed a piece of bacon as he idly leaned against the counter to eat it. Robyn kept watching him, hardly paying attention to her food while Cye drummed his fingers on the table in annoyance. He knew that Kento was doing this on purpose and there wasn't much he could do about it.     "So, what are we going to do today Robyn?" he asked, trying to draw her attention somewhere else. All he got was a mumbled, inaudible reply from her as she put her fork in her mouth in almost a daze.     "Robyn, are you listening?" The response remained next to nil. "Robyn? Robyn! What do I have to do to get you to listen to me?!" Cye asked in frustration.     Robyn finally turned to him and smiled. "Sorry Cye, but unless you're willing to take your shirt off for me, Kento's got my attention for the duration of the show."     "Oh, for crying out loud," Cye exclaimed. "Kento! Go get dressed!"     "Oh, all right," Kento said reluctantly as he went off to find a shirt.     "There," Cye stated. "Now will you-"     Robyn was quick to cut him off as she leaned out farther to catch one last glimpse of Kento before he disappeared out of the room. She grinned to herself after he was gone. "Mmmm, niiiiice."     Cye glared at Robyn's goofy grin and let her daydream as he went back to moodily chewing on his breakfast. Mia and Rowen came down seconds later. The former was bright eyed and bushy tailed, dressed and ready for the day. On the other hand, Rowen was still in a sweater and sweat pants with disheveled hair and an expression that said he may have risen but he was refusing to shine that morning.     "Well, good morning sunshine," Cye announced. "I didn't expect to see you up for another couple of hours."     Rowen gave him a dirty look and reached blindly for the coffee maker to pour himself a cup. "Stupid sun shone right in my window," Rowen grouched as he sipped the dark liquid.     Mia ignored his bad mood and continued smiling sweetly as she helped herself to breakfast and sat down with the rest of them.     "So Robyn," Mia began, trying to start some friendly conversation. "How did you sleep last night?"     "You're not going to get an answer," Cye replied as Robyn seemed to be oblivious to everything around her. "She's too busy daydreaming about Kento."     Both Mia and Rowen raised an eyebrow at that statement. "He came down here with his shirt off," Cye continued to explain as he rose and took his empty dishes to the sink.     "It was good," Robyn informed Mia with a grin. "If only all guys were like that."     "Well, I happen to know that all of the guys here look pretty good without their shirts," Mia responded quietly with a knowing smile.     "Really? Even..." Robyn jerked a thumb in Rowen's direction. "Stick Boy?" Mia nodded.     "Rowen!" Robyn grinned as she turned in her chair. Rowen gazed up from his coffee mug to give her a questioning look. "Come on Rowen, take off that shirt. Let's see how you compare to Kento!"     Rowen gave a grunt of disapproval before picking up his coffee and walking out of the room.     "Party pooper." 

***** 

    The weather was beautiful. The sky was clear and there was a cool breeze in the air - perfect sailing weather. The five Ronin boys all realized this during mid-afternoon when the weather was the hottest. With each dressed in only their swim trunks, they went to the shed and dragged the two dusty skimmers residing there towards the water. They weren't really sailboats, more like long flat rafts with sails attached and each could hold only two or three people. After about an hour spent on maintenance to make sure the boats were in proper order, they were ready to go.     "Ready to set sail guys?" Rowen called from where he, Cye, and Sage had boarded one boat. Ryo and Kento were in the other.     "Yeah," Ryo chorused enthusiastically. "Let's go!"     "Hey, hold on," Kento insisted. "Look who finally decided to come and join us."     He pointed to the cabin when a thin red-haired girl stepped out onto the porch. Earlier that morning after breakfast, Robyn had lazily pronounced it to be "Pajama Day" and insisted on spending her morning on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate in one hand and a notebook in the other. Despite many different invitations to get up and do something that day, Robyn insisted that her current project was more important and maybe she'd get up and get dressed later. She had been quiet for the rest of the morning, staring at her notebook with a concentrated expression and writing a few lines down every now and then.     The boys were beginning to believe that she was never going to go out. They were all surprised to see her standing out there on the porch - finally ready for the day. Robyn had on a yellow swimsuit under torn Levi shorts. Her hair was pulled back into a french braid even though stray strands had already gotten loose and were being teased by the breeze.     "Wow, will wonders never cease," Ryo joked. "Let's see if she wants to go sailing with us."     "I don't know Ryo," Cye countered. "Robyn kind of has this thing about-"     "Hey, Robyn!" Kento cut him off before Cye could ever finish.     The girl turned when she heard her name called and smiled as she walked down the beach to them. "Hey guys, what's up?"     "Want to come sailing with us?" Rowen invited.     Robyn looked at Cye as she thought the proposition over. His face told her she didn't have to go if she didn't want to. "Sure," Robyn shrugged.     Cye was surprised by her answer but reluctantly let it pass. He could make sure Robyn stayed safe out on the ocean. Unfortunately, the boat he was in was already full.     "Um, Sage, do you think you could go with Kento and Ryo and let Robyn ride with us?"     "Don't worry about it, Cye," Robyn quickly waved it off. "I can go with these guys." She hopped onto the other floater and grinned. "I get to hang out with my good bud Kento!"     "Yeah, that's right!" Kento grinned as he playfully looped his arm around her neck.     "Okay," Cye relented. He took his place on his own boat but he still wasn't looking too comfortable about the idea.     "All right, guys," Rowen whooped. "Let's head out!"     There was a chorus of whistles and hollers as Sage untied the first boat. He nudged it out and then jumped onboard with Rowen and Cye. "Sit down you two so we can get going," Ryo ordered with a smile as he pushed off the second boat. Kento and Robyn obediently found places to sit as the two boats floated out into the open sea.     A warm breeze flowed above the water and filled the sails. The skimmers clipped along at a brisk pace. Sage smiled as the wind whipped through his thick hair. He breathed in the salty sea scent as he sat cross legged in his spot. Next to him Cye leaned back on his elbows, one leg dangling in the water. Rowen was manning the sails; doing what he could to keep the boat racing along at a good pace. The small boat suddenly surged up as it hit a rather large wave. Sage was broken from his serene trance when he had to grab hold of the side before he fell off and into the water.     "Gotta keep on your toes out here, Sage," Cye laughed.     "Oh yeah?" Sage replied with a wicked grin. "Let's see how you like it."     He advanced on his water loving friend. Cye tried to scoot away while still keeping his balance but Sage got a hold of his leg. The two proceeded to try and wrestle each other off the boat.     "Hey, cool it, you guys, before you tip us all ov - AH!" Rowen's warning was cut short as the boat tipped and all three of them were poured into the ocean. When the teens surfaced, they could instantly hear the laughter from the others. "Good going, you guys," Rowen grouched as he hauled his sopping wet self back onto the boat.     Sage and Cye just looked at each other. They exchanged evil looks and then promptly lifted their side, spilling Rowen into the sea again. The two conspirators laughed and exchanged high fives while a sputtering Rowen broke the surface once more.     Across the way, Kento was about to fall off himself from laughing so hard. "Did you see that?" he called.     "Heh, yeah," Ryo chuckled. "Aren't you glad you came with us instead, Robyn?"     Robyn grinned, trying to hide the uneasy feeling slowly gnawing at the pit of her stomach. She was determined to have fun and not let her fear of the water get the best of her - even though she started to clutch the side of the board even harder.     "No kidding," Robyn chuckled. "They sure didn't last long, did they?"     "Yeah," Kento agreed. "Hey, who taught you guys how to steer a sail anyway?"     "Oh, it's their turn now," Rowen said lowly as Cye and Sage climbed back onto the floating object. "Come on guys, let's let them."     Sage showed his agreement by taking the sails and steering their boat for the one with the dry passengers. Rowen took point, eager to be the first one to lay siege on their target. "Uh oh Ryo, look who's coming for us," Kento pointed out.     "So, that's how they want to play it, huh?" Ryo asked to no one in particular. "We'll see if they can catch us." He tugged on the ropes so the sails would catch the full force of the wind.     "Ramming speed!" Rowen hollered as his boat was quickly closing the gap between them with Sage at the helm.     "Oh, shoot," Robyn muttered to herself. She had now decided going sailing was a bad idea as the others continued to catch up no matter what they did. She scooted to the back of the boat and braced herself as they got close enough for Rowen to reach them.     Kento seemed to sense her anxiety and turned to her. "Don't worry, Robyn, I'll take him out." A weak smile was all Robyn could manage before they were attacked.     "YAAAH!" Rowen hollered as he stood and jumped from his boat to the other.     He was immediately challenged by Kento and the two proceeded to try and wrestle each other into the water. Robyn just clenched her teeth and made a small whining sound as the boat rocked and bounced from the battle.     All of a sudden, it seemed as if a large wave came out of nowhere and snatched away Robyn's grip on the side. Instantly she lost her balance and fell into the water with a startled cry.     The two boys stopped fighting at her splash.     "You should have held on better than that, Robyn," Kento laughed. Rowen chuckled as they waited for her to surface. The smiles quickly vanished when she didn't. "Robyn?" Kento asked the water. "ROBYN!!" Kento felt like his veins were on fire as extreme panic caused his heart to jump. "Ryo! She's not coming up!"     In the blink of an eye the black haired youth was in the water.     "Oh, man," Rowen fretted as he hopped back onto his own boat. "Sage, pull around to the other side."     The blonde warrior instantly complied. He tugged on the ropes, changing the angle of the sail and the direction of the boat. As they maneuvered around, Cye continued to watch the waters with growing anxiety. He thought he would die of fear when Ryo emerged emptyhanded.     The bearer of Wildfire sputtered and gazed around at the water frantically. "Where is she?" he cried.     Cye was instantly on his feet and he dove into the water. The boat cradled from his take off, but no one ever noticed. All eyes were riveted on the deep blue abyss. Ryo continued treading water, his heart feeling like it would explode from anticipation.     "Come on, Cye," he muttered.     Suddenly, the surface was broken as two heads emerged. For all first appearances, Robyn seemed to be fine physically as she was kicking and thrashing in the water. As soon as the air reached her lungs again she started screaming bloody murder to the world. It was all poor Cye could do just to hold on to her flailing body.     "Ryo, help me get her *gasp* to the boat," he called as he spit out sea water.     The two warriors struggled to haul the thrashing girl onto the boat. Kento did his best to help hold her when they got her out of the water. Robyn appeared to have lost all sense of reality as she continued to scream at them and struggle wildly.     "What the heck is wrong with her?" Kento demanded.     Cye climbed aboard and grabbed her shoulders. "Robyn! Robyn, listen to me! Robyn!"     He shook her roughly and Robyn suddenly stopped screaming as she snapped out of her trance. She looked around with wide eyes, mouth agape, as if seeing them all for the first time. She worked her mouth up and down in confusion as she gazed around her.     Kento was leaning over the sail and staring warily at her as if she were suddenly going to jump up and bite him. Ryo's face was full of worry as he floated in the water and clung to the edge next to her. Across the way, Sage and Rowen shared the same look of bewilderment. Robyn's eyes returned to Cye's; surprisingly the calmest of the group. But his face still showed that of great concern.     "Robyn," he said again softly. Robyn tried to speak but no words formed on her tongue. She shook her head as tears stung her eyes and she flung herself into Cye's arms. Cye put his arms around her and held her tight against him. He could feel her body wracking from her silent sobs as tears began to wet his already damp skin. He slowly stroked her hair and whispered that everything would be okay.     "I think we should head in now," Ryo finally spoke up. The others seemed to agree. "Kento, can you handle the sails?"     "Huh?" Kento was brought in from his own trance. "Uh, yeah, Ryo, no sweat."     Ryo nodded and swam over to Rowen and Sage. Kento pulled on the ropes controlling the sail and steered them back for shore. Robyn continued to shudder and hold tight to Cye. No one spoke a word the entire ride back. 

***** 

    "So what's the deal with this girl?" Sage demanded.     The sun was setting now. The group of the five boys were gathered on the porch, the events of earlier that day still on their minds. They were now dried and dressed in regular clothes and Robyn was still in the room she had gone to when they reached the shore. Ryo, Rowen, and Kento were sitting calmly in various places on the porch. Cye was standing, leaning his elbows on the railing while Sage was pacing back and forth when he had voiced his question.     "Well?" Sage asked again when no one answered. He turned and looked expectantly at Cye, who had refused to meet his gaze. "What happened out there Cye? What was that?"     "Some kind of flashback, I suppose," Cye mumbled humbly.     "Flashback! Flashback!?" Sage's voice rose with his anger. "What kind of flashback? The last thing we need is to have to take care of some psychopath!"     Cye stood up straight and clenched his fists as he finally raised his deep green eyes to meet Sage's stormy purple ones. "Be careful Sage," Cye warned in a more dangerous tone than anyone had ever heard him use. "You don't know what you're talking about."     "Oh, I don't, huh?" Sage retorted, ignoring Cye's threat. "Well then, how about you enlighten us all, hmm?"     Cye glared daggers at him. He allowed himself a few breaths to calm himself as the others watched him expectantly.     "Robyn has... a fear of water," Cye explained slowly. He tried to keep his voice calm but it was obvious to anyone this was a hard thing for him to say. "You see, when Robyn was little her... mother tried to um, she tried to kill her several times by holding her head underwater." The group was stunned into silence by that revelation. But none so much as Sage himself. When Cye looked up at the blonde young man his anger was rekindled. "And thank you so much for bringing that up, Sage," Cye spat before stalking off the porch and away from all of them.     There were several moments more of startled silence before Kento spoke up. "Wow, guys, do you really think that's true, what Cye said?"     "I don't see why he would have any reason to lie to us," Rowen replied softly. "Especially about something like that."     "Well then, I'm sure it's an easy bet to who feels like a big jerk now," Kento said as all eyes moved on Sage.     The blonde young man only closed his eyes and sighed. 

***** 

    The gang of weekenders continued to be blessed with ideal weather as they sat around a campfire that night under a clear sky full of bright stars. When Ryo and Rowen had started the fire there had been question if they could manage to get everyone together again after what had happened earlier that day. But Rowen managed to drag Sage into the circle and Robyn came out obediently the second she was asked. Though she never said a word, she wrapped herself in a blanket and took a seat on a large fat log. And when Cye saw she was there he went down and sat by her.     The conversation around the fire that night stayed pretty low and calm. Ryo, Rowen, Kento and Mia were the only ones who did any talking that night. Sage sat next to Rowen, content to just listen to the others talk. Across the fire from him Cye poked the ashes with a stick while Robyn snuggled into her blanket and kept her gaze to the ground.     Sage tried his best to look disinterested but he couldn't help but watch her across the flickering flames. The fire cast shadows across her features, making her face look hollow and empty. Sage narrowed his eyes as he thought about what Cye said earlier. He had to admit, if it was the truth it was a horrible one. But Cye, of course, would never make up something that serious. But it still made Sage wonder.     He sat up straighter as an idea hit him. What he decided to do he didn't do often, but he was going to try it tonight. Sage moved his legs in a more comfortable position, then closed his eyes as he calmed his body with practiced confidence. His grandfather had taught him how to do this but it took years of discipline and training before he could actually master it.     Sage breathed deep, reaching inward and outward to a higher plane of consciousness very few mortals ever experienced. He focused his inner powers until he could see the world around him without eyes but by sensing the light from the auras surrounding him.     Sage slowly opened his eyes. They had changed from a greyish purple to a deep violet. Sage looked around him, seeing not with just his eyes but with an finely tuned sixth sense as well. As a result of this practice, he could clearly see the auras surrounding each object. The grasses and bushes glowed a deep patient hue while the auras of the people in the vicinity shone far brighter.     Sage had since grown accustomed to his friend's shining auras. Ryo's burning red, Kento's flaming orange, and Rowen's shining deep blue. Mia's aura glowed a healthy white thought it wasn't as bright as the others. Sage turned his gaze to the remaining two. Cye's light blue aura was so bright it practically drowned out that of the other person sitting next to him. Sage had to concentrate extra hard to try and block out the light so he could clearly see what he had set out to find.     One could tell a lot by looking at a person's aura, Sage had learned. A person's mood, health, personality, and background were reflected in the kind of life energy a spirit gave out. Often children who had been victims of abuse came out with very dull, dirty-looking auras and that was what Sage expected to see when he studied Robyn's.     The light around her glowed a light greyish color. Not too bad. It was like that of a soiled aura working to cleanse itself again. But as Sage looked closer, he noticed something he had never experienced before. The edges of her aura were... torn? Sage wasn't sure what it meant but that's what it looked like. It almost appeared to have been shredded by the claws of some animal. It just looked so tattered and battered. Sage didn't have a clue of what to make of it.     At the same time Sage also noticed that Cye's aura was reaching out to hers. It seemed to almost caress the shredded edges lightly, slowly giving it strength and repairing it little by little. This action Sage understood, but he still wanted to know more. Going to the next step his grandfather taught him, he closed his eyes again and focused on the girl across the campfire. He reached out to her soul, seeking to probe her subconscious to find the answers to his questions.     Robyn's head quickly shot up and she looked around with wide eyes. Sage withdrew himself with equal swiftness and everything went back to normal. Robyn glanced all around her and even over to the dark shadows at her back. Sage pretended not to notice as the dirt by his feet suddenly became very interesting. But inside, his mind was going a hundred miles per hour. She had sensed him. Sage didn't know how but she had. A subconscious probe of that amount could have never been noticed by a normal person. So then how did she know?     Could it be possible she had a keen sixth sense as well? No. Sage dismissed that notion right away. If she did he would have been able to sense it in her aura. So then how could she feel his presence? Fortunately, whatever power she possessed wasn't that strong. She apparently had not been able to tell who it was. But... was that fear he saw in her eyes?     Sage watched passively as Robyn looked warily around her one last time before settling back down into her blanket. Someone had to have probed her mind before. That was the only explanation Sage could think of. It was the only way she would have been able to recognize what it was.     His thoughts were ended abruptly as Robyn suddenly got up and excused herself to go to bed. Cye had instantly offered to walk her in but Robyn would have none of that. She gathered her blanket around her shoulders and patted Cye's shoulder before heading off for the cabin. A few of the other members of the group mumbled their good nights as she left.     The conversations grew even quieter after that. Sage and Cye looked at each other across the flames before the former went back to staring at the fire deep in thought. 

***** 

    It was late. All the occupants of the cabin were sleeping - save one as it slipped like a shadow in the darkness. The figure tiptoed into one room where three different bodies were sleeping soundly on cots. It stopped by one bed in particular and poked at the sleeping body. "Huh?" Cye asked sleepily as he was nudged awake.     "Shhh," Robyn was quick to quiet him.     "Robyn," Cye whispered as he sat up. "What are you doing up?"     The girl just grinned with child-like excitement. "There's a full moon out tonight."     "But-"     "Come on, Cye," she tugged on his arm imploringly. "Just once more for old time's sake. Please?"     Cye looked at her doubtfully. But he just couldn't say no when he saw the hopefulness in her eyes. Giving a heavy sigh, he finally rolled out of bed.     Minutes later the soft light of the full moon found two figures walking along the beach. "I remember how we used to do this as kids," Cye recalled. "It was always so hard to sleep with a full moon out when you were little."     "It still is sometimes," Robyn added thoughtfully. "And we would sneak out of our houses and go on crazy hunts." She laughed. "Remember how we used to believe there were fairies living in the woods on the other side of the fence? And the only way to see them was to catch them by surprise during one of their midnight parties when they danced by moonlight. At least, that's what your sister always told us."     "Yeah, Sayoko always got a thrill from telling those stories," Cye chuckled. "But we didn't care. We were always looking for magic beneath a full moon."     Robyn smiled sadly. "Everything was so simple then. Stories like that were easy to believe in. They gave me something to hope for. But they don't help anymore."     Cye noticed the tone of regret in her voice but nudged her playfully. "Don't tell me you don't believe anymore. You were always getting after me for doubting. I remember you said the magic exists only because we believe."     "I did, did I?" Robyn mumbled as she shook her head. "Well, contrary to what I said then, I stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago. Besides, sometimes the real world is far more strange than any story you could come up with."     Cye just smiled. He couldn't argue with that. If only she knew just how weird his life was. Magical armors and evil demons from nether realms - she'd never buy it. The two continued on quietly. Robyn kept her head down, watching the footprints she made in the warm sand. Cye kept his eyes on the foaming sea. Looking at the water made a familiar pang nag at his conscience.     "Robyn," he finally spoke as he grabbed her wrist to stop her. She stopped and looked at him questioningly. Cye gently pulled her down so they were sitting side by side in the sand. "Can we talk about what happened this afternoon?"     Robyn instantly hid her head in her face when he asked this. "Oh man, I still can't believe I did that. I'm so embarrassed!" She lifted her head slightly to look at Cye again. "All those guys must think I'm totally looney now.     "Well, more or less," Cye admitted with a weak smile. "Do you want to tell me what happened out there? I know you don't like deep water but this..."     He trailed off, waiting for Robyn to fill in the rest. She, for her part, remained quiet as she watched the water lap at the shore.     "I'm really not sure what happened myself," Robyn admitted quietly. "I've never done that before - ever." She paused to gaze at the foamy sea. "I don't know how to explain it, but something happened out there today. It was almost as if I was snatched right off that boat. And then I just kept sinking. It literally felt like these hands were pulling me under. I could feel myself being pulled deeper and deeper and I couldn't get away. It was like a nightmare all over again and I just... snapped." She paused from her story look into Cye's eyes. "I thought I was going to die."     Cye was silent. He wasn't sure why, but the way she had described her ordeal took an icy hold on his heart and sent shivers up his spine. But he managed a warm smile and put a hand on her arm. "You don't need to worry anymore. You're with me now and I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."     Robyn put her hand on his, smiling. If only he knew how much that meant to her. Cye squeezed her shoulder in reassurance before moving his gaze out towards the sea. Robyn leaned her head lightly on his arm as they both watched the mystical tides dancing beneath the soft light of the full moon. 

***** 

    As a result of his late night walk, Cye wasn't up at his usual time to make breakfast. But surprisingly, Robyn was. However, she wasn't too keen on cooking so she decided cold cereal suited her just fine. Kento was awake about the same time she was and both settled down at the table with their breakfast - still fully clad in their rumpled sleepwear. Mia was the next one to wake and quietly went into the kitchen into make herself some coffee and toast. By the time Ryo came down, Robyn had finished up her cereal and was now slurping down the last of her sugar-flavored milk from the rim of the bowl.     "Here, let me help you with that, Robyn," Ryo offered pleasantly as he lifted her bowl higher, causing milk to dribble down the sides of her face.     Robyn sputtered in surprise and tried to swat him away. "RYO!" she protested as she stood, holding her sticky bowl away from her. Milk was dripping down her face and onto her clothes.     Ryo just laughed, so did Kento. "Well at least you have a reason to change out of your pj's today," the Warrior of Strength offered.     "Funny," Robyn replied sarcastically. She marched to the kitchen and tried to clean herself off the best she could. The playful smirk remained on Ryo's face as he poured himself some cereal and watched as Robyn paraded indignantly out of the room. The look on the young girl's face was not one of appreciation.     But as she reached the stairs she stopped to smile slightly to herself. After the incident at sea the other day, Robyn wasn't sure how she was going to be treated or if they even wanted to be friends with her any more. But Ryo's little obnoxious action served as a clever reminder that she was stuck with them no matter what she did. That was a promise worth more than gold to her and she continued up the stairs. 

***** 

    "Heads up!" Ryo's voice called from above as his newly packed travel bag was tossed down the staircase.     Mia paused in her stride as the bag landed at her feet. She glanced at her watch. "We need to get on the road within a half an hour," she called up to whoever happened to be on the second floor.     "Will do," Kento's voice called out. "Ready, set, GO!" Suddenly there was a rumbling sound from above as two heavy-looking sleeping bags slid loudly down the carpeted stairs.     "Ha! I won!" Rowen announced triumphantly as he poked his head out of the first bag.     "No way, man!" Kento argued from the second. "I won!"     "ROBYN!" both called at the same time.     "Sorry, guys, I couldn't see it," Robyn apologized as she came down the stairs.     "What?!" Kento protested.     "Heh, Ryo probably had his shirt off up there and Robyn got distracted," Rowen joked.     "Hey, give me a break!" Robyn demanded.     "Speaking of which," Kento said as he climbed out of the sleeping bag. "You don't even like guys, from what I hear."     "What?" Robyn asked in confusion.     "Chun Fa told me you said you were a lesbian - am I right?"     Robyn snorted at her own forgotten joke. "And do you believe her?"     "I don't know," Kento said warily. "I always thought there was something weird about you..."     "Robyn's not gay!" Cye suddenly protested from where he had been listening in the doorway.     Robyn smirked playfully at him. "And how would you know, Cye?"     "Yeah Cye," Rowen chimed in. "Did you guys do something last night to prove otherwise?" Cye's face instantly paled while Robyn broke up laughing.     "See, I bet she is," Kento insisted. "You'd think she'd take advantage of having the five of us out here alone."     "Oh, yeahm Kento," Robyn said sarcastically, suddenly changing sides to her argument. "And while you guys weren't looking I was putting the moves on Mia."     Cye made a face from the mental picture that provided. Rowen looked like he was picturing the same thing, but a look of intrigue was plastered on his face.     "I bet you were," Kento challenged as he folded his arms and stood up to the smaller girl. "Can you prove you're not?"     "Can you prove I am?" Robyn challenged right back.     "Fine," Kento announced. "I challenge you to go on a date with me and we'll see which way the door swings."     "Fine!" Robyn agreed defiantly.     "Fine!"     Both glared the other down one more time before turning on their heels, each tromping off in opposite directions. Mia was standing in the doorway Robyn was heading for. She had heard the whole thing. Robyn stopped next to her, a look of realization suddenly making itself known on her face. "Why do I feel like I've just been suckered?" she asked no one in particular.     The same thing happened to Kento as he reached the other doorway where Sage was standing. "Why do I feel like I've just been duped?" he wondered.     The two walked off their separate ways and the rest of the group was left in a confused silence. There was a bit of rumbling as Ryo bounded down the stairs. He paused when he noticed all his friends standing around with odd looks on their faces. "What?" he wanted to know.     No one really had an answer for him. 

***** 

    Roughly twenty minutes later, everything was packed into the van and Rowen had called shotgun. Everyone piled slowly into the vehicle, saying their last good-byes to the seaside cabin.     "Later, old friend," Kento mumbled as he brushed a hand along the wood railing on the porch. Some of the greatest memories of his childhood resided in that cabin. His family used to come here every summer when he was little. But that tradition was long forgotten and they would be coming there no more. The cabin would soon be sold and that chapter of his life would be put to rest forever. What a bummer.     "Yo Kento, Cye's stealing your window seat!" Robyn tattled from where she stood next to the car. One could instantly hear Cye's voice from inside yelling at her for being such a narc.     "We'll see about that," Kento announced before he charged for the van and jumped inside. More yelling from various parties came as a result.     Robyn laughed at the trouble she caused before she climbed in as well. Mia and Rowen were already seat belted in up front and Sage was the last one to stoop inside. Robyn gave the blonde young man a small smile as she scooted over to make room for him. Sage returned it with a similar one of his own. Robyn wasn't sure, but that smile seemed to reach up to his eyes. A sincere one - could it be? One could never be sure as Sage closed the door behind him and they all set off for home. 


	6. Chapter Six: A Perfect Understanding

Chapter Six 

"Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall"   
By Ghost of the Dawn 

Chapter Six - A Perfect Understanding 

    "Oh, by the way, Cye," Robyn casually mentioned during lunch period one day, "you won't have to wait for me after school today. I've got detention hours to make up."     Cye paused in mid-chew and gave her a 'why don't you ever give me good news?' type look. "What did you do this time?" he asked in a tone that told he wasn't too keen on hearing the answer.     "I got in a fight - not a real one!" Robyn quickly clarified as Cye's eyes suddenly grew wide. "These two snobby girls were giving me crap, so I had to tell them what for. They started having this big mama cow just because I was joshing around with some guy."     "This guy wouldn't have been Hiroshi Yumi, would it?" Kento asked. "I see you talking with him in the halls sometimes."     "Yeah, that's his name," Robyn nodded. "Good 'ol Hiro. That guy's a character, I'll tell ya." She paused to take a bite of her sandwich.     "Well, I hate to break this to you," Kento continued. "But he's Miniko's boyfriend."     "What??" Robyn choked, almost spitting out part of her sandwich in the process. "No wonder those girls got after me! Geeze! It's bad enough I get persecuted for being on the same planet as Sage, but this?" Both Sage and Rowen raised an eyebrow at her when she mentioned this. Robyn furrowed her brows at them in return. "Oh, don't even try to pretend you don't have a clue what I'm talking about. Everyone knows Min is all possessive over him. It's not like a big secret or anything. But what the heck is she doing getting after me when she already has a boyfriend? That girl's really screwed up."     "Robyn," Cye stepped in with his tolerant parental voice, "maybe you should just calm down and try to stay out of her way instead of making her mad."     "Easier said than done," Robyn muttered to herself. "Especially when she's got her whole army of wannabes constantly riding up my-"     "What was that?" Cye demanded.     "I said I will do my best to be nice and helpful to everyone!"     Cye gave her a look that said he wasn't buying. But there wasn't much time for further argument as the bell sounded the end of lunch. 

***** 

    Ryo rubbed his sore neck as he walked out of the school. He too had to make up detention hours that afternoon. Three hours of cleaning up the school's horribly kept auditorium wasn't his idea of a great time. But at the same instant he also felt a sense of accomplishment as he left. That was the last of his detention hours from all his first period tardies plus the ones he had received for starting the chemistry lab on fire. He was now detention free and that thought alone gave him a sense of pride in his chest and an extra bounce in his step.     But he paused in midstride as a noisy group of girls gathered a few yards away caught his attention. From the sounds of it, they seemed pretty mad and they were huddled around something in the midst of them. Ryo recognized Miniko Hino as the leader of the group instantly. There was no mistaking the flashy, bright clothes and the long black hair.     Suddenly, the tall, dark-haired girl struck out with a vicious high kick and there was a flash of golden red as a body fell to the ground when it received the brunt of that kick.     Ryo's deep blue eyes widened. He recognized that color of red and sprinted toward the group. The girls never noticed his advance as they continued in taunting voices to ridicule the object of their disdain.     "What's going on here?" Ryo demanded, finally catching the attention of all of them.     Most of the members of the mocking mob instantly lost their nerve at the sight of the young man and shied away into silence. Miniko, however, never lost her defiant composure. She looked Ryo straight in the eye as if he was the one who had no business being there.     "Just taking care of some personal matters," she informed him curtly. She pivoted smartly on her toe and paraded off. The rest of her group instantly gravitated toward her and they all shuffled away like sheep in a herd. Ryo glared darkly at their retreating backs before turning to the person that was left behind.     Robyn was sitting on the ground, drawn up into herself and holding the left side of her face. She made no move to acknowledge Ryo's presence as she continued to stare shamefully at the dirt. Ryo slowly squatted down beside her. "Robyn, are you okay?" he asked softly.     "Yeah," Robyn whispered in reply, still refusing to look at him.     "Here, let me see." He reached for the hand covering her face but Robyn jerked away before he could remove it.     "I'm fine, Ryo! Leave me alone!"     Ryo withdrew his hands but didn't move from his place beside her. Both stayed unmoving and silent for several minutes. Finally, Robyn glanced up, as if asking the youth what he was still doing there. "Are you going to let me see it now?" Ryo asked patiently. Robyn didn't move away this time and slowly removed her hand.     Ryo pursed his lips when he saw the wound. There was a slight abrasion in which a small bit of blood oozed from the broken skin. Most of the side of her face was red with the promise of being swollen and bruised in the future. It was worse than Ryo initially thought it would be but he knew better than to make a big deal about it now. "Come on," he said as he gently pulled her to her feet. "We'll go to my house and clean it up."     Robyn complied without a word. Ryo picked up her bag and she allowed him to herd her to any place of his desire. The ten minute walk to Ryo's home was without conversation and remained that way even as they stepped up to the porch and into the house. Ryo led her to a stool by the kitchen counter before heading off alone to find the first aid kit. Robyn sat and waited in silence.     The place seemed to be empty, but Ryo wasn't surprised one bit. His grandmother was never there before he was, no matter what time Ryo got home. She was always an active woman, even in her old age. When she wasn't out tending to her garden she was off visiting neighbors or friends or getting into one community project or another. That's just the way she was. And as long as she continued to come home in time to make him supper, Ryo didn't mind.     "Here," Ryo said when he came back and handed her an ice pack. "Hopefully, this will keep the swelling down."     Robyn bit back a cry when pain shot through her face as a result of the cold material touching her bruised skin. Ryo moved to the sink and there was the sound of running water before he returned once more with a wet cloth. "We better clean that so it doesn't get infected," he explained as he pulled up a stool next to hers.     Robyn instantly objected to the treatment. "Ryo! Ouch! Just leave it be! I don't need you fussing over me like I'm some little kid!"     The bearer of Wildfire was undaunted by her actions and looked at her sternly. "Well, you're sure acting like a little kid! So quit being such a baby and let me help you!"     That was enough to do it and Robyn dropped both hands into her lap reluctantly. Ryo nodded and leaned forward, set on cleaning out the dirt scraped into her skin by Min's shoe when it collided with her face. Robyn flinched but held her ground as the cloth touched the tender spot. Ryo's expression changed from stern to apologetic as he regretfully continued to dab at the side of her face. Robyn's eyes were starting to water before Ryo was finally satisfied with his job. He tossed the cloth back in the sink and Robyn replaced the cold compress to her face.     "Ryo, I'm home," came a jolly voice as the front door opened and shut. "Where is my little troublemaker?"     Ryo gave a lopsided grin. "In here, Grandma," he called.     "Ryo, don't call her in here," Robyn hissed. "She's going to freak when she sees me like this!"     "It's okay," Ryo assured her. "My grandma's cool. You'll see."     The look on Robyn's face told him she didn't believe it. "Ah, here you are," Grandma Sanada said as she came into the kitchen. "Do we finally have all our detention hours made up now?"     "Yes, Grandma," Ryo said.     "Good, let's see if we can keep it that way, hmm?"     "Yes, Grandma," Ryo repeated with a grin.     "And who is this with you?" Grandma Sanada asked, finally noticing Robyn perched on the stool. "It's about time you brought home a girl, if you ask me."     Ryo chose to ignore that comment. Sometimes he felt like he was the adult in the family with a grandmother such as his. "Grandma, this is Robyn. I told you about her. She's staying with the Mouris, remember?"     "Ah, Robyn, yes," the elderly woman said as she walked up to her. "It's certainly wonderful to meet y- dear me! What happened to you, child?" Robyn bit her lip when the abrasion on her face was finally noticed. "Did you get in a fight at school?" Grandma Sanada continued to ask.     "Yeah, something like that."     "Well, my Ryo better have helped you out then," his grandmother continued sternly.     Robyn laughed a bit at that. "Yes, ma'am, he did."     "Good."     She moved to the sink to start preparing dinner and that was the end of that. Robyn shot a surprised look to Ryo, who returned it with a knowing expression. He made a gesture with his head for her to follow him out back. Robyn obediently got up as he led the way to the back porch where each took a seat on the cement steps.     "So, is it feeling any better?" Ryo asked.     "Yeah," Robyn said as she returned the ice pack to her face. "It doesn't hurt as much any more. Now my face just feels... fat."     Ryo laughed. "Well, a kick like that would do that to a person."     Robyn didn't reflect on Ryo's good humor. "Yeah, now I just can't wait until Cye sees this. The I-told-you-so's are never going to end." She sighed loudly. "And then he'll get that stupid look on his face - all sad and droopy-eyed like I really let him down. No one can ever make me feel as guilty as Cye can."     But despite Robyn's lament, Ryo started to smile. "Hold on for one sec, I'll be back."     He promptly stood up and disappeared into the house, leaving Robyn alone with her thoughts. She looked around idly at her surroundings. It was a fairly large back yard with thick grass that needed cutting. The edge of the yard faded into small trees with a thick underbrush which eventually lead to the forest outside of town. Robyn froze when she heard a rustling in the bushes. But before she could panic a familiar furry white form slipped into the yard.     "Hey, White Blaze," Robyn greeted casually. "It's been a long time since I've seen you. Still remember me, boy?" She stretched out her hand to the large white cat. White Blaze hardly took time to sniff her offered fingertips before butting his head against her palm in a tiger's plea for a friendly scratch. "I guess you do remember," Robyn laughed as she rubbed his ear with her free hand.     White Blaze sat himself closer to her and purred his thanks. After a few minutes of scratching, White Blaze pulled away and stepped closer to sniff at the cold object Robyn was holding to her face. He seemed to sense that something was wrong with her and made a small whimpering noise as he pushed her other hand with his nose. Robyn winced at the extra pressure and moved away. "It's okay, boy, I'll be all right," Robyn attempted to soothe him by scratching his furry cheek.     "So there you are," Ryo said, hands on hips as he stepped out the door.     "Me?" Robyn wondered.     Ryo laughed. "I meant White Blaze; I haven't seen him for a couple days. He likes to go off on his own every now and then, huh?" He finished his question by patting the tiger on the head and he sat back down next to Robyn. "Oh, by the way, Robyn, you're staying for dinner."     The red haired girl raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, I am, am I?"     "Yup."     "Well then, I guess I'll have to call home first and tell them where I am and stuff."     "Already done," Ryo assured her. "I told Cye's mom you were here and everything's fine."     Robyn smiled; even though what she really wanted to do was give Ryo the biggest hug of his life for being such an awesome friend. But for now, a smile would have to do.     "White Blaze," Robyn protested as the giant cat tried for the second time to see what the compress was hiding on her face. "I told you, I'm all right! Back off, you silly cat! Here! Look!" Robyn announced as she removed the ice pack. "There, see? That's it."     White Blaze sniffed at the wound a few times before emitting a low growl. Robyn leaned back, suddenly scared at the noise. "What is it? What'd I do?" she asked Ryo in a fearful voice.     The black haired youth put his arms around White Blaze's large shoulders and pulled him away. "Don't worry. I think he's just mad about what happened to you is all," Ryo said.     "Really?" Robyn wondered. She absently rested her hand on the tiger's shoulder and White Blaze gave her a friendly nudge as if to agree with what he'd said. "Well, I really don't blame him." Robyn suddenly changed moods as she stared darkly at her feet. "But then I guess I kind of deserved what I got. Just because she's snotty to me doesn't mean I should retaliate the same. I really brought it all on myself. I should just learn to keep my mouth shut."     "You know, Robyn, we could teach you how to defend yourself if you'd like," Ryo offered. "At least then you could stand up to her, maybe dish out some of her own medicine."     Robyn shook her head. "No, I couldn't."     "Don't worry about it," Ryo insisted. "It's really not that hard to learn. Here, I can teach you some of the basic stuff right now. Come on, I'll show you." He grabbed her hand but Robyn resisted when he pulled her to her feet.     "No, Ryo, I'm serious. I can't do it - you don't understand."     He paused and looked at her curiously. "What do you mean? You're saying if Min attacks you again you're just going to sit there and take it like you did today?"     She looked at him seriously. "Yes ,Ryo, that is exactly what I would do."     "What? Why?"     Robyn turned her back to him and rubbed her left hand on her opposite arm. "I don't know if you would understand," she said softly. Ryo grabbed her wrist and pulled her back around so she was facing him. He looked her straight in the face and Robyn thought she was going to drown in the depths of his amazing blue eyes.     "Tell me," he said simply.     Robyn turned away slightly and sighed. Why not? What did she have to lose? "It happened a long time ago when Cye and I were just little kids. We couldn't have been more than six or seven. I didn't know him very well then but we lived next to each other. We were out playing in his backyard. I can't even remember what it was he said but I suddenly got mad and I hit him." Robyn shook her head and gave a humorless laugh. "Cye was just this sickly little thing when we were young. I knocked him to the ground easily. But I remember he didn't say anything. He looked shocked at first and then he gave me this really sad, betrayed look as he stood up again.     "I don't know why, but that just made me angrier and I hit him again. And again and again. I - I couldn't stop. I wasn't really mad at him, I was just... mad. I had such a hard, frustrating childhood. And then there I was, taking out all that was bottled up inside me on this tiny little body." Robyn paused to push her bangs out of her eyes. White Blaze walked up next to her and she leaned against his massive frame. "But he never once cried out. He just sat there and took it all. Then finally, I heard him whimper a little. By that time I was crying myself, even though I couldn't make myself stop hitting and kicking him. But when I heard that sound I just froze and I realized something. At that point I was no better than my dad who did the same thing to me. Suddenly I felt so bad and dirty and evil. So I ran away and hid inside my house and I watched secretly as poor Cye picked himself up and limped home. I hid in the basement for the rest of the day, afraid his mom would tell my parents and that I would get in trouble."     Robyn finally looked up at Ryo as she finished her story. "But no one ever mentioned it again. And try as I might to hide from Cye for the rest of my days, he eventually found me out and we somehow became friends. His forgiving me for that was probably the single grandest act of kindness I have ever encountered. And from then on, I knew I could never cause anyone to hurt like that again. Because I already knew how bad that felt and no one deserves that."     There was a long pause as her tale ended. Ryo just looked at her, trying to let it all sink in. It was hard for him to imagine the kind of conditions Robyn had to live with. Sure, his family wasn't perfect, but he never realized how lucky he had it until that moment. He was sorry Robyn couldn't say the same. In fact, he was mad about it. And after taking another look at the abrasion on her face, he was even madder that she still had to deal with it.     "Still, Robyn," Ryo argued, "doesn't it make you angry what Min did to you? Don't you want to do something about it?"     "Of course it does, Ryo," Robyn insisted as she moved away to wander moodily about the yard. "It's hard, it's frustrating. It makes me feel powerless," she clenched her fists as her emotions started to build up. "I just-" She finished off the sentence with a good kick to the soccer ball minding its own business in the yard. A few yards away was a shed that had a small bullseye painted on it for throwing darts. Ryo's eyebrows shot up when the soccer ball landed dead center in the middle of it. Robyn didn't seem to notice.     "Whoa, hold on," Ryo said as he ran to get the ball.     "What?" Robyn asked as he trotted back over to her.     Ryo dropped the ball at her feet. "Do that again," he challenged.     Robyn looked at the ball, shrugged, and kicked it again. Another bullseye.     "Not bad," Ryo said, impressed. "Do you play soccer a lot?"     Another shrug.     Ryo retrieved the ball and bounced it on his knee. "Care for a game?"     Robyn smiled. "Okay." By the time Grandma Sanada called out to them, their game of one-on-one turned to keep-the-ball-from-White-Blaze. Both teens where huffing and puffing as they ran tiredly after the white tiger who held the soccer ball firmly in his mouth.     "Okay, you two, quit the hijinks and come in for chow!" Ryo's grandmother called.     "Coming," Ryo panted. "I guess you win this round, boy," he called to White Blaze. "Yeah, but next time you're kitty litter, pal," Robyn promised, also out of breath.     White Blaze didn't look the least bit scared and sat down to groom himself.     "Cats," both of them mumbled together as they trudged up the porch steps to eat. 

***** 

    "You know, Ryo, you were right," Robyn admitted. "Your grandma is cool."     "Told ya," Ryo said with a grin. It was starting to get dark now. Ryo was walking Robyn to the subway station where she could catch a ride to her own neighborhood. Robyn was thankful she packed a sweater as an icy breeze bit at her cheeks. It wasn't all that late yet, but the weather was getting colder and the days were getting shorter as fall was upon them. The two reached the subway station with a few minutes to spare.     "Well, thanks for buying me some time, Ryo," Robyn offered. "Now all I have to do is figure out what I'm going to say when I get back. I can't tell them what really happened. Both of them will flip."     "You mean you're going to lie?" Ryo asked.     "Well, not flat-out lie. Maybe bend the truth a little. But you'll back me up, right?"     "Robyn, I just can't lie to my friends. They trust me. Besides, to be honest, I can't lie to save my life. Seriously."     Robyn patted his shoulder as the subway train arrived. "Don't worry, Ryo, I'll make sure you won't get put in that position, okay?"     And before Ryo could ask her exactly what she meant by that, she was already on the train and gone from the station. 

***** 

    Ryo was never sure what went on that night. But when Kento, Cye, and Robyn arrived at school the next morning, none of them looked too happy. Robyn kept shooting Cye warning glares every time he looked at her while Kento just looked confused at it all. Ryo noticed Robyn had combed her hair a bit differently that day to better hide the long bruise running down the side of her face. When Rowen and Sage arrived she kept her head to the side so neither of them would have a clue about what happened. Other than that, the morning remained uneventful as the bell rang to signal the beginning of school. The group separated and headed to their respective first periods. Except for Robyn who trotted after Kento and Sage.     "Hold on for a sec," Robyn said as she grabbed Sage's arm. "You go on ahead, Ken, I've got to have a chat with Mr. Congeniality real quick, okay?"     Kento raised his hands, glad he wasn't asked to get involved in whatever was going on that day. "Fine by me. Catch you later."     As Kento left, Sage turned to the thin girl and folded his arms expectantly. Robyn closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her forehead as she tried to gather her thoughts.     "Okay, Sage, this is what has to happen. I can't eat with you, I can't talk to you, I can't ignore you. I get in trouble if I'm nice to you and also if I'm mean to you. I'm not allowed to smell you, think about you, or draw little doodles of you in my notebook. So please do me a favor, Sage. Could you just, like, turn the other way whenever you see me? You'll be doing both of us a favor."     Sage made hardly a response to Robyn's small rant and instead reached out to gently move the strands of hair away from her face. "What happened?" he asked simply.     Caught a bit off guard, it took Robyn a while to find her voice again. "That is none of your business," Robyn finally stated. "And I am leaving now."     Sage merely watched as she turned smartly on her heel and marched off to her first hour class. 

***** 

    "Okay, Robyn, time to spill," Cye demanded when he caught up to her at lunch. "You may have been able to hide it from my mom but you won't be able to hide it from me. Now what happened to your face?"     Robyn took a deep breath as they sat down across from each other at the lunch table outside. She knew she couldn't be able to dodge the question forever. Fortunately, she was ready for this question - she hoped. "Look, it's not a big deal, Cye. We were just playing soccer at Ryo's house and things got a bit rough. That's all."     "Ryo did this to you??"     "No! None of this was Ryo's fault!"     "Well, if that's all that happened then why didn't you tell me about it earlier?"     Robyn took a moment to ferret through her lunch sack as she replied. "Because I knew that you would just blow the whole thing out of proportion like you're doing right now."     It was at this time that Sage and Rowen joined them at the table - Sage next to Cye and Rowen next to Robyn. "Then how come I get the feeling you're not telling me something?" Cye probed.     Robyn made a noise of exasperation. Why couldn't he just let it be? "Look, look. Here comes Ryo. I'll prove it. Hey, Ryo," she called to him as he approached. "Did we or did we not play soccer last night?"     "Yes," Ryo answered warily as he sat down next to Sage.     "There, ya see?" "Hey, Robyn," Kento belted as he squeezed in between her and Rowen. The blue-haired youth didn't look too appreciative of being shoved over but gave Kento room anyway.     "I heard what happened to you," Kento continued to say which caught everyone's attention. "No wonder you didn't want to tell us! Why did you let Miniko clock you like that anyway?"     "Miniko hit you??" Cye demanded while Robyn dropped her head on the table in defeat. "Robyn, I can't believe you lied to me! How can I ever trust you again? And Kento," he turned to his best friend and new target, "how on Earth did you ever find that out?"     "Eh, I heard Min bragging about it in the hall. So how about you give the girl a break, Cye? She's had a bad enough time as it is."     Robyn lifted her head and gave Kento a small smile of appreciation. Why couldn't Cye be that understanding?     "Did she really hit you?" Rowen asked. He had to lean forward so he could see her over Kento's bulk.     "Kicked me, actually," Robyn admitted. "And I don't want to hear anyone asking me why. I'm sure we're all aware of the many reasons she did it."     "Man," Kento grumbled. "That really burns me up. She thinks she owns the whole school! Too bad she's a girl or I'd go knock her block off right now."     "I appreciate the offer, Kento, but I think we should just leave well enough alone. I don't need it to get any worse."     "Seriously Robyn, we all feel really bad about it," Rowen said. "We all wish we could have at least been there for you."     Robyn smiled at him. "Thanks for caring. But Ryo was there in time to give me moral support. That was good enough." Everyone turned to look at Ryo who only shrugged in reply. "Now everyone be quiet about it," Robyn ordered. "It's over and done now, no sense in keeping it going."     Everyone at the table paused long enough to hear a group of girls laughing in their general direction. It didn't take a genius to realize what they were laughing at. Robyn groaned and hid her face in her arms. 

***** 

    "So what are you doing after school today, Robyn?" Rowen asked when he had caught up with her and Ryo after the last bell rang.     "Not much," Robyn admitted, "I've got a ton of homework to do tonight. Stupid college trig!"     "Wanna do it at my place? I could help you with your math if you need it."     Robyn raised a skeptical eyebrow at him as they stepped out the door. "Anything particular bring this sudden idea on?" she prodded.     "What? No! It was just an idea. Don't jump all over me for it."     Robyn made no further argument and instead blew her bangs away from her face as they stepped outside towards the usual meeting place. The others were already there as the remaining three arrived. Cye and Kento looked ready to leave in an instant, the latter spinning his key chain on one finger.     "Okay, everyone's here now. So let's go already," Kento said impatiently.     "Robyn's coming home with me," Rowen announced as if he had just called first dibs on her. Cye shot her a questioning look to confirm Rowen's statement. Robyn shrugged and gave a look that said 'Hey, it wasn't my idea, but I'll go along with it.'     Cye then gave Rowen a look which was similar to the one Robyn had given him earlier. Ryo waved casually to Sage as he started off for home and Kento seemed impartial to anything that went on. "Well, let's go then, come on, Cye!"     "But-" Cye protested as he was dragged away by his shirt collar.     "No buts, you and me got places to go and things to do!"     "And you," Sage said to Rowen, "must have forgotten that we have practice at the dojo today."     "Dojo??" Robyn squeaked.     Rowen slapped both hands to his face, his mouth forming an 'O' shape as he expressed mock surprise. "Oh no," he cried lamely, poorly mimicking a type of English accent. "I totally forgot! Oh dear me, how my mind just goes - OF COURSE I DIDN'T FORGET, SAGE! I'M NOT AN IDIOT!!"     "More like unabashedly cynical," Sage muttered.     Robyn slapped her palm on her forehead. "Egads! I've been suckered again!" The sound of Kento's jeep was more than apparent to everyone within the vicinity as it drove away. "And there goes my ride home," she lamented.     "Well, I guess you get to come with me then," Rowen grinned.     Robyn twirled her finger in the air sarcastically. "Well whooptie-doo and la de da!"     Sage just kept to himself and started for the car as his father pulled up like he did every time this day of the week.     "Come on, Robyn," Rowen said cheerfully as he took her arm and pulled her in the direction Sage was going. The girl's expression was not one of excitement as she was dragged along to the car. Mr. Date looked mildly surprised when Sage opened the front passenger door and got in. Usually both boys took up the back seat when he came to pick them up.     "Hi, Mr. Date," Rowen sang as he got in the back with a young red-haired girl. "This is Robyn. She's going to be coming with us today."     Robyn kind of hunched her shoulders and smiled weakly to the rearview mirror as if apologizing for being there. Sage's father only nodded in acceptance and then drove off for his destination.     The Date family dojo was quite a spacious place; Robyn was surprised how much open room it had inside it. The building itself actually used to be a roller skating rink. The Date's had purchased it a few years ago when the old one proved to be too small and turned it into a dojo/gym. The floor of the main room was covered with mats and had a few weapon racks and tapestries along the walls. A large paper wall separated the smaller room which contained several different types of exercise machines - mostly used by the older students who attended the classes or simply came to work out.     There weren't many people there that day - most of them being in the aforementioned gym when they arrived. The large practice room was currently empty since it would be a while until lessons started for the afternoon.     As Sage and Rowen went off to the locker rooms to change into their practice gear, Robyn took a seat on one of the benches near the door and pulled out her math book and note paper. She had finished almost five of the easier problems when Rowen emerged again. He was wearing a white practice suit with the top held closed by a black belt. Robyn looked up when she felt someone standing over her.     "Yes?" she said expectantly as she looked up.     "So what do you think?" he asked, motioning to his ensemble.     "I think they look like pajamas. But they don't look half bad on you."     "Yeah?" Rowen asked with a grin.     Robyn shrugged. "Sure, they really look good on ya. I just hope you're not planning on getting me into one of those things."     Rowen laughed. "Not quite. Come with me."     Robyn put away her things and left them on the bench as she followed the tall young man to the farthest corner of the practice room. There were some portable paper walls leaning against the wall and Rowen began setting them up, creating their own little room where they could have some privacy.     "Oh, you're sneakier than I thought," Robyn joked. "You're making a place here where we can be alone."     "Let's leave our dirty minds at the door, shall we?" Rowen responded brightly as he pulled her into the self-made room.     "So what exactly are you doing anyway?" Robyn wanted to know.     "I," Rowen announced as he rolled up his sleeves, "am going to teach you a little in the art of self-defense."     "Oh, great, here we go again," Robyn sighed.     "This," Rowen continued, undaunted. "Is a strictly self-preserving technique only. Non-retaliatory."     Robyn smirked at him. "You've been talking to Ryo, haven't you?"     "That's beside the point. Shall we get started?"     "Fine," Robyn sighed in defeat. "Show me your little... whatever and then I've got to get back to my homework."     "All right," Rowen grinned triumphantly. He planted his feet apart in a readied stance. "Now, try to hit me."     "What?" Robyn protested.     "Come on, like you're going to punch me."     Robyn made a pathetic whimpering sound. "No, Rowen," she whined, "I - I can't-"     "Come on, you're not going to hurt me. Just do it."     After a bit more fidgeting, Robyn finally balled up a tiny fist and made a half-hearted punch towards Rowen's shoulder. The tall boy easily blocked it with a flick of his wrist.     "Oh, Robyn! What a wussy punch! You can do better than that! Pretend you're mad at me or something." Robyn punched again, but it was only slightly more forceful than the first one. Again Rowen easily diverted the small attack to the side. The blue-haired youth shook his head to swish his hair away from his eyes. This wasn't going as good as he had hoped.     "Okay, look, we're going to try something else. I'm going to punch with my left hand and I want you to take your right arm and block it like this - here, with the back side of your wrist." Rowen went through the motions of the technique while Robyn mimicked the best she could.     "Okay, ready?" Rowen then said. Robyn nodded. Rowen made a fist and pushed it very slowly in Robyn's direction. She blocked it awkwardly. After further instruction, Rowen tried again, punching with a bit more force than before. They repeated this action over and over until Robyn felt fairly comfortable with it. Then they rotated to their other hands and eventually went to a combination of the two. Rowen was just getting around to showing her how to block kicks when the noises from the outside room got to them.     "Looks like that's all for today," Rowen announced. "Sounds like everyone's here. Lessons should start soon." R    obyn nodded and started to walk out, but she paused in mid-stride at what she saw. Two teenagers were already engaged in a practice sparring match and it was going on hot and heavy. One of the participants was a boy around Robyn's age that she had never seen before. The other one Robyn identified immediately. There was no mistaking those hard eyes and that dark, flowing hair.     "Eep!" Robyn squeaked as she ran back behind the paper wall. "It's Miniko! No wonder she could waylay me like she did! Crap! I'm dead!" Robyn turned to Rowen with a vengeful gaze. "Why didn't you tell me she would be here??" she hissed.     Rowen shrugged as if the issue didn't matter.     "Well, I'm going to stay behind here until she leaves," Robyn announced.     "You can stay here," Rowen responded. "But I do have to move these walls when class starts."     "Great," Robyn mumbled. She grudgingly helped Rowen replace the movable walls back in the corner and then slunk cowardly back to her bench. The class started when Mr. Date stepped into the room in his practice gi. All the students, including Rowen and Sage, instantly stood at attention and bowed respectfully. Robyn didn't wait to see what would happen next. She quickly gathered up her things and slipped out the door to continue her school work out on the sidewalk.     Time passed slowly, but finally the students started filing back out of the building and towards home. No one saw Robyn as they left. In her ever continuing quest to avoid Miniko Hino, she had sat herself around the corner so no would notice her.     "So here's where you went," Rowen said as he leaned over her, casting his lanky shadow across her papers. "So what have you been up to?"     "Hmm, mostly trying to figure out why you dragged me out here in the first place."     Rowen laughed as if she had meant the statement to be some sort of joke. "Well, we can leave now, as soon as I..." He paused when he noticed his hands were empty. "As soon as I go get my bag out of the locker room."     He dashed back around the corner and into the dojo once again. Robyn gathered up her things at a more casual pace before hiking her heavy bag over her shoulder and then walking back into the building. She only went as far as the doors, leaning on them when they closed as she waited for Rowen. The place was practically empty once again. Not even the usual music from the gym was playing now. But someone was still using the practice mats, however.     Sage stood in the midst of the mats, still in his white practice gi and a sword in his hand. Robyn had trouble telling from a distance but the weapon looked old. Sage seemed oblivious to anything and everything around him as he moved gracefully on the floor. The ancient blade whistled as it sliced through the air. It seemed to have a power all its own and Sage merely followed as the weapon led him through ancient katas rehearsed over the centuries by his ancestors.     Robyn had never seen anything like it. He moved as if possessed. Graceful and powerful, like a jungle cat. His movements were almost hypnotizing. Robyn didn't even notice Rowen come up beside her until he bumped her with his elbow. She looked up, a bit surprised he was there. Rowen merely jerked his head in the direction of the door to show that it was time to leave. Robyn took one last look at the master swordsman before following after him. 

***** 

    "Wah! Stupid Law of Cosines! I must always look in the back of the book to find you!"     Rowen looked up from his college physics book as Robyn started ranting and flipping disgruntledly through her math book. "It's A squared equals B squared plus C squared minus 2BC Cos A," Rowen rattled off. "And how about writing that down at the top of your paper so you don't have to keep looking back?"     Robyn looked at him and then made a sound as if that was the stupidest thing she ever heard. But then she went ahead and did it anyway. "Rowen," Robyn asked as she wrote, "how long have you known Sage?"     Rowen paused to tap his pencil to his chin. "About as long as you've known Cye, I'm guessing."     "And have you been best friends all that time?"     "Sure. Why do you ask?"     Robyn finally looked up from her work. "I was just curious. You two are such opposites, it's kinda weird how you can be so close."     "We're not that different," Rowen argued.     "Yeah, you are," Robyn insisted. "You're a night person and Sage is such a day person. And you act totally different. Sage is always so quiet and you're always so obnoxious."     Rowen smirked at that comment as Robyn went on. "I know you're smarter than Sage but he always acts more intelligent. And the way you guys act around people. Sage really doesn't seem to care what other people think of him. He just goes out and does what he feels like - like when we were at that dance club. And he doesn't care what the other kids say about him at school either. But you, Rowen, you worry about things like that. I've seen you. You're always so careful about how you act when people from school are around. You worry about what they say and think about you."     Rowen's smile instantly disappeared at that revelation and he got up and headed straight for the kitchen counter.     "You do, Rowen," Robyn called after him. "So you're super smart, big deal. Why should it matter what they think? You'll be making more money than all of them put together in a few years anyway."     "Are you hungry?" Rowen asked, refusing to acknowledge what she had just said. "It is kind of late. You might as well stay for dinner."     "Dinner?" Robyn wondered as she turned around in her seat. "Who's gonna cook it?"     "I am, of course," Rowen said, almost sounding insulted by the question. "You got a problem with that?"     "Sorry," Robyn replied in a tone that was not at all apologetic. It's just that... well, you're not Cye."     "Thank God." Rowen looked above him appraisingly.     "Be nice, Rowen. I'm just saying you seem more like the kind of guy who stays behind the books, not behind the counter."     "Well, it's not like I enjoy it or anything," Rowen insisted as he started to get out some cooking supplies. "When I was living with my dad I quickly found out he only eats when he realizes he's hungry. If he's got some major project going on sometimes he won't come out for days at a time. So for me, it was either learn to cook or starve. And now that I'm living with my mom, it's not much different. She's never home, so if I want to keep eating I have to prepare the food myself."     "Wow, I had no idea," Robyn replied quietly. She had now moved from the small table to the counter next to Rowen where she was leaning her back against it, elbows up.     "It's not so bad," the blue haired boy insisted. "It's going to help me a LOT when I go off to college."     "That's for sure," Robyn agreed. "You need any help?"     "No, I'm fine. Get back to your homework. You've been doing that stuff all day, shouldn't you be finished by now?"     "You'd think," Robyn grumbled as she sat back down at the table. "Theoretically, this should be my last week of heavy homework before I'm caught up in all my classes. Note the word should as we have yet to see what my stupid teachers will come up with for next week."     Rowen chuckled as he filled a pan full of water and then set it on the stove to heat. All remained fairly peaceful as one teen cooked while the other one concentrated. So when the door to Rowen's apartment opened and shut, both were well aware that they had a new guest in the house.     "Honey, I'm home," Sage announced grandly as he stepped into the kitchen. The blonde young man never wavered as he walked right up to Rowen and put an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, sugar dumpling, what are you making for me tonight?" he whispered in his ear.     Rowen made a sound that was the mix of suppressing a laugh and clearing his throat. "Don't look now, love muffin, but we have company tonight."     Sage instantly paled as he turned around and finally saw Robyn at the table trying very hard to suppress her giggles. Ultimately, she failed and broke into a fit of heavy laugher while hitting her palm on the table.     "Sage! I didn't know you swung that way!" Robyn exclaimed. "Oh man! That's too funny!" She broke out into harder laughter before she finally was able to compose herself. "So this is what you guys do behind closed doors, huh?" she smirked.     "I don't see why you're making such a big deal about it," Rowen defended his embarrassed friend. "I mean, you're a lesbian, so it's not like you were hoping of dating one of us."     Robyn shot him a dirty look and then laughed again. "I guess not. So we're all just going to have a nice gay dinner here, huh?"     That comment brought a chuckle from even Sage and the tension in the air was instantly lifted. The three enjoyed a nice, casual dinner together. It was spent in idle conversation and eating Rowen's dinner to which, Robyn had to admit, was pretty good. After it was over all three cleaned up together and then moved into the main room to lounge on the couches and finish their homework.     "So what brings you out here this time, Sage?" Rowen asked as he wandered back and forth to finish up the last of the cleaning.     The Warrior of Light reflexively made a face behind his notebook. "Yayoi stopped by this afternoon and, of course, got on my case instantly." Sage shook his head and sighed. "Why can't she just leave me alone for one day? She's always harping on me about the way I dress, do my hair, be myself..."     "So what are you going to do about it?" Rowen asked.     "I... I'm going to write a poem about how stupid she is."     "How mature of you," Rowen commented as he moved back into the kitchen.     Robyn grinned to herself from where she was curled up in a chair. Being alone with these two, she was beginning to see things she was sure not many others ever got to see. In a way she felt privileged. In another way, it made her feel left out so she kept her silence and did her work. She didn't even notice when Sage got up and joined Rowen in the kitchen.     "Got another headache?" Sage asked quietly when he caught his best friend over the sink swallowing some aspirin.     "It's not too bad," Rowen insisted. "I'm fine."     "Rowen, if they aren't going away then maybe you should go see a doctor about them."     "I'm fine," Rowen snapped. "But if you insist on talking about problems we can discuss why you haven't been getting any sleep lately." Sage shut his mouth instantly. "That's what I thought," Rowen replied as he stalked back out of the kitchen and snatched up his college astronomy book.     Robyn raised her eyebrows as Sage came in and went back to his writing. But she didn't say anything and soon everyone was engrossed in their own homework.     "Rowen, I need to find a word," Sage suddenly announced after a while. "My mind is blank. I'm trying to describe Yayoi here... Her evil is... I need a word that means... complete, you know? Really, really..." He motioned his hands around to try to communicate what his words could not.     "Ultimate?" Rowen guessed.     "No, no. Not that, more..."     "Thorough, unconditional, total, entire," rattled off the human thesaurus, "absolute."     "Absolute!" Sage exclaimed. "Yes, that works."     Rowen chuckled at Sage's writing about his sister.     "How about perfect?" Robyn spoke up quietly from the other side of the room. Both boys gave her a funny look.     "Perfect?" Rowen repeated.     "Yeah," Robyn insisted. "Perfect isn't necessarily good. One can be evil in its perfection. It's like being perfectly lost, or perfectly lonely."     "Perfect," Sage repeated thoughtfully as he tapped his pen to the side of his mouth. While he was left to meditate on that, Rowen got up to answer the ringing phone.     "Hello," his voice drifted in from the kitchen. "Oh, hi. Yeah, she's still here... Yeah, I can do that... Yeah, uh huh. Buh-bye."     Knowing she was the one being talked about, Robyn looked up expectantly as Rowen entered the room.     "That was Cye," the bearer of Strata explained. "He's over at Kento's restaurant and he wants you to meet him there. I told him I'd walk you down."     "All righty then," Robyn nodded and started to put away her things. It wasn't long before Robyn, Rowen, and even Sage were walking down the sidewalk together towards the Faun family restaurant. The sun had almost set completely by this time and the trio had to rely on the city lights to guide their way. The sidewalks along the main street were very crowded so Rowen had opted to take a short cut through an older part of town. There were still people around here as well, but not as many. The buildings in this area were old - mostly abandoned houses.     "So how are you doing in that writing class?" Sage asked their female companion.     Robyn shrugged. "Okay. That class was easier to catch up in than most. I don't think I'll be needing any of your help after all. Sorry to disappoint."     Sage gave half a smile as he looked at his shoes. "I didn't think you would need any help. They did bump you into that class for a reason, right, Robyn? Robyn?"     The two boys paused when the third member of their party was no longer with them. They looked behind them to see Robyn just standing there a few yards back where they had left her. She stood stark still, staring wide-eyed down a dark street where only half the lights worked and hardly anybody lived.     "Robyn?" Rowen asked as they moved back to get her.     The girl didn't answer - didn't even move. Her face was paler thannormal and her wide green eyes were full of unspoken fear. She never moved her gaze from the street as her body started to tremble. The boys were dumbfounded. Rowen felt lost, not having a clue what was going on. Sage gazed up the road, wondering what had caused such fear. That was when he felt it. Like a dark icy hand, something reach out and gripped his heart in a firm hold. Sage gasped at the horrible feeling. That was all the time needed before Robyn was off like a shot.     Both Ronins hardly had time to figure out what was going on before the thin figure had disappeared around the shadowed corner. They took off after her, racing at top speed in attempt to catch up to her. Around the corner they went and paused in their tracks. The alley before them was still and empty.     "Oh, great," Rowen muttered.     "You take the left side, I'll go right," Sage announced as he took off again. Rowen was right at his heels before they split into opposite directions.     Sage dashed down the next alley only to be met with a metal fence. Quick inspection showed a hole in the corner large enough for a small form like Robyn's to have slipped through. Sage was starting to feel doubtful he was going the right direction but he hopped the fence anyway and continued on. His journey led him up an unkept hill full of weeds and finally to a grassy patch surrounding a small playground. And sitting right on one of the squeaky seats was a hunched silhouette.     Sage should have felt relieved to have found her, but he didn't. Instead he found himself wishing he had gone the wrong way. He wasn't really friends with Robyn. Rowen should have been the one to find her. He would know how to help. But as for Sage, he didn't have a clue what he was supposed to say to this girl now that he had found her.     The bearer of Halo walked slowly over to the rusted metal swing set. If Robyn could hear him approach she didn't show it. She kept her forehead pressed to the chain in her left hand while the metal whined in the breeze. The blonde young man walked up next to her and cleared his throat.     "What happened?" he asked. Sage did his best to sound neutral when in truth he was starting to get mad at this girl for making him run all over and then putting him in this uncomfortable position.     "Nothing," Robyn replied lamely.     "Nothing?" Sage repeated, his voice rising. "Nothing?? You call panicking in the middle of the street nothing? You call leading us on some crazy chase around the city at night 'nothing'? We must have different dictionaries because last time I checked 'nothing' meant something entirely different."     Robyn, who had been listening to him with growing anger, suddenly jumped up from her swing to face the taller blonde.     "What do you want from me, Sage?" she demanded. "What is it you want? I know you don't like me. You don't have to pretend to be my friend. I just wish you'd realize I'm not like you! I didn't come from some snug little family in the suburbs. I didn't get the kind of life you guys did. My father was an abusive drunk and my mother was a schizophrenic psychopath and they ended up with me, okay? So just deal with it! I had to."     And with thus said, Robyn retrieved her backpack from the ground and started off. After that outburst, Sage was having trouble finding his voice. He still wasn't sure what to think as he called after her. "Wait, where are you going?"     "To meet Cye. And don't follow me," Robyn said as she continued on over the hill and towards the Faun family restaurant located another block down.     Knowing he might get a tongue lashing for it later, Sage complied to her wishes nonetheless. He turned on his heel and went back the direction he had come. After about ten minutes of searching by streetlight, the Warrior of Light was finally able to locate his wandering friend.     "Did you find her?" Rowen asked, looking worried.     "I found her," Sage stated simply.     "Well, where is she, then?"     "Probably at the restaurant by now."     Rowen studied his friend's face. Despite Sage's attempts to seem nonchalant, he could see something dark brooding in that one visible eye of his. "Sage," Rowen said levelly. "What happened?"     Sage sighed when his facade proved to be a failure. He put a hand on his best friend's shoulder while steering him back towards their own homes. "Come on, I'll fill you in on the way." 

***** 

    Robyn trudged slowly towards her fourth hour ancient history class. She had been dreading this particular class all morning. Not only would Sage and Min be there, but her history teacher hated her and it was boring to boot.     "Well, well, well. Look who it is."     Robyn whimpered when she heard that voice. Couldn't she have at least made it to the door before the torment could begin? Apparently not. Miniko swaggered haughtily up to the smaller girl who had now lowered her gaze to the floor.     "Oh, what's the matter?" Min taunted. "You're not afraid of me, are you?"     "Ah, Miniko," a male voice interrupted. Both girls looked up in surprise as a tall, blonde young man came up to them. Even more surprised when Sage planted a hand right on Robyn's shoulder. "I see you two have met," Sage said pleasantly. "But allow me to introduce you. Miniko, this is Robyn, a very good friend of mine. And she's new here so I hope you've made her feel welcome."     The dark-haired girl looked from Sage to Robyn with a look of total bafflement on her face. Robyn's expression mirrored Miniko's own in astonishment. This blonde young man never failed to throw her for a loop on a moment's notice.     "Well, we should go before the bell rings," Sage announced.     He kept his hand on Robyn's thin shoulder as he guided her through the door. Robyn dumbly let him lead her into the room. Once inside, her senses were kicked on again as she felt something being pressed into her palm. She looked up. Sage merely gave her a friendly smile before taking his seat.     Robyn traveled to the next row and back where her own assigned seat was. Only after she had sat down did she look at what was in her hand. In the back of her mind she heard the bell ring as she produced a neatly folded piece of paper. Unfolding it in her lap where the teacher couldn't see she read the small note inscribed in elegant handwriting.     _Perfect. Many things on this planet - both good and bad - can be described as such. Unfortunately, we as people are not one of them._     Robyn looked up and stared in wonderment at the back of Sage's head two desks down. At that instant she could hear the words that had been left unsaid in that small note. Robyn's mouth cracked into a crooked smile and she refolded the paper and slipped it into her back pocket. Mr. Kuroda was just starting his lecture. Sage was hunched over his notebook, writing down whatever he thought were the important points of the speech.     Suddenly, a small wad of paper landed right in the middle of his desk. Momentarily surprised, Sage glanced behind him. Robyn had her chin propped up in her open palms with a pencil dangling between to fingers. She raised her eyebrows in an odd smile to signal that she was the one who had thrown it. Sage turned around and turned his attention back to the wad off paper as he spread it out.     "Mr. Date," Mr. Kuroda suddenly announced.     "Yes ,sir," Sage instantly stiffened and replied.     "I am trying to give an important lecture here. Of course, you wouldn't have realized that since you've been too busy passing notes. So why don't you come up here and share it with the whole class?"     The room fell silent. Sage's face paled but he stood anyway. All eyes were on him as he walked obediently to the front of the room. He cleared his throat as he straightened the crinkled piece of paper. Silently he prayed to himself that Robyn hadn't left him something he couldn't live down until graduation. He took a deep breath and all ears strained to hear. Everyone was curious as to what kind of notes would be sent to the most-wanted boy in school. Mr. Kuroda smiled to himself. He never passed up an opportunity to make life miserable for his students.     "If everyone was perfect," Sage slowly read. "Then the world would be a very boring place."     The room stayed silent. Mr. Kuroda snatched the paper from Sage's hand to make sure it really wasn't some embarrassing love letter and that he had just made it all up. But there it was, just as he had said it. More silence.     "Hear! Hear!" Kento suddenly bellowed. "Thanks for sharing with us, Sage!"     The class broke out into muffled laughter while the aged history teacher felt foolish and fumed. Sage humbly excused himself from the front of the room and reclaimed his seat. Robyn giggled to herself as she watched him. Sage looked back at her again and smiled - a real smile this time. When he turned back around his shoulders trembled as he fought back his own laughter.     Robyn couldn't help but grin as something inside her warmed. For the first time in her life she could honestly say that things were starting to get better. It wasn't until now that she really felt like she was beginning to fit in. After all those years of searching for her place she had finally found it. Like everything else, it wasn't perfect. But it worked. 


	7. Chapter Seven: The Dare

Chapter Seven 

"Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall"   
By Ghost of the Dawn 

Chapter Seven - The Dare 

    There were flames everywhere. But Ryo wasn't worried. There was always fire in his dreams. Not that he minded; fire was almost like a second home to him. It surrounded him with a gentle warmth. It soothed his spirit and burned away his frustrations. His fiery dream world was where Ryo went to rest and revitalize his soul after a stressful day.     But as the flames caressed his body, something suddenly felt off. Ryo stood in the midst of the fire with eyes wide from surprise and perhaps even fear. It suddenly was no longer comfortable in his fiery little world. The inferno leapt out of control and reached out savagely to burn his flesh. Ryo jumped back in astonishment. This was the first time he had ever had his element actually turn on him. Something wasn't right.     And then he saw it. It stood across the way, flames dancing obediently around it without burning. A dark figure - humanoid in form. All black like a charred skeleton with bits of flesh and clothing still hanging to its grotesque form. The face held no features beside its glowing red eyes, but Ryo could feel it smiling at his revulsion and confusion.     "Who are you?" Ryo demanded.     The thing regarded him across the flames. It had no lips to speak with but Ryo could hear its voice within his head like a sinister echo of thousands of unearthly voices speaking in unison. "Stay away, Ryo of the Wildfire," the dark essence threatened. "The time is almost at hand and you will NOT get involved."     Ryo's fear instantly melted away as anger replaced it upon that bold order. "And what if I don't stay away?" Ryo demanded. "I have pledged my life to stop evil like you."     "STAY OUT OF THIS, WILDFIRE!" the thing practically screamed. "Do not interfere or else!"     To further prove its point, three hazy figures appeared in the background behind it. It was Cye, Rowen, and Kento. They hung by the wrists from dark chains protruding from an unseen source. Right into the flames they dangled and each screamed out in pain as the fire mercilessly burned off their flesh.     "STOP IT!!" Ryo growled angrily.     The black figure seemed to merely smirk at him as another figure hanging in the same fashion appeared right next to it. Sage's body was lifeless, head down as he hung there. The thing walked up to him, running a decaying hand down his chest before lifting his head and touching his cheek in almost a sensual caress. Sage jerked from the touch and made a small, pitiful cry as his skin turned ashen gray and his flesh began to melt until he was starting to resemble that of his captor.     Ryo desperately tried to reach his friends but the hot walls of the angry fire denied him passage to the other side. "NO! LEAVE THEM ALONE!"     The dark figure stared him down. "Do not try to stop me or you will lose it all. Get in my way and I will be your undoing."     With a sweep of its arm the flames instantly went out, plunging the world into a blackness as deep and dark as the evil thing itself. The anguished screams of his tortured friends had stopped as they disappeared with the fire. But even in the complete darkness, Ryo knew he wasn't alone.     "AHH!" Ryo sat up in bed with a start. His eyes were wide and he was breathing hard. It took him a moment to realize his surroundings. He was at home, in bed, and in his room safe and sound. Light was already pouring in through his window and a glance at the clock foretold it would be only five more minutes until his alarm went off.     No use going back to bed now. Even if he had the time to catch some more sleep, Ryo was no longer tired. The scenes of his vision now haunted him and he began to worry. What was that thing that spoke to him? Was it real? There was no way he could have just dreamed that all up. So then what did it mean? What exactly had he been warned to stay away from? And more importantly, what did it all mean for their future?     Ryo got up and headed for the shower. He let the warm water pelt his face and run down his body in attempt to wash away the haunting visions he saw whenever he closed his eyes. But as much as he tried to dismiss it, that feeling of foreboding would not leave the pit of his stomach. His brows creased in their usual manner when he got worried.     Something was going to happen, he knew it. But when and what, he had not a clue. So until then, Ryo promised himself he would keep on guard. He would watch out for his friends, his family, and his city. But to face this thing; was he ready to pay the consequences? 

***** 

    "...it's the creepiest place ever! You'd never catch me dead in there."     "Heh, if you went in, you probably would be."     "Dude, I'll give you ten bucks if you go there tomorrow night."     Robyn lifted her head as she caught the last of the conversation. It was those loud boys who always sat in the back of her second hour class. Hiroshi Yumi was one of them. He was supposedly Miniko's steady boyfriend and after her last encounter with the angry snob, Robyn had kept her distance. But this conversation was too interesting to let pass by.     "No way, man!" one of the boys was saying to Hiroshi's challenge. "I'm not even going near that place. You've heard the stories."     Robyn turned around and looked at them. "What stories are those?"     The three boys stopped and looked at her incredulously. "You mean you've never heard of the old house on the edge of town?" one of them asked.     Robyn shook her head. "What's the matter with it?"     "Nothing," continued the same boy. "Except that it's the creepiest house on the face of the planet!"     Robyn looked to Hiroshi for confirmation to the allegation. The lanky, dark-haired boy just shrugged.     "It's supposed to be haunted," he replied casually. "Some stories say that some people were murdered there. Others say devil worshipers go there to do sacrifices and curses or something. But this guy here," he tossed a thumb at the kid beside him, "is too chicken to even go near it. Not even for money."     "I'll do it," Robyn volunteered.     "What?" the alleged 'chicken' squawked in protest. "Are you crazy?"     "I'm not scared of some stupid house," Robyn said defiantly.     Hiroshi grinned at her. "We'll see about that. What do you say we make a little wager?" 

***** 

    "Hey, Kento," Robyn called as she spotted him in the hall between classes. "Wait up."     Upon hearing his name, the Warrior of Strength turned around and waited as his friend trotted up to him through the crowds. "What's up?" he asked casually.     "You're coming with me to the old haunted house on the edge of town Friday night," Robyn informed him.     Kento gave her an odd look but didn't seem too troubled with the request. "What for?"     "To stay for an hour. No flashlights. And you can't tell Cye."     Kento frowned. "Why not?"     "Because he's my friend and I don't want him scarred for life because of scary nightmares."     "And what, I'm not your friend?" Kento protested.     Robyn patted him on the shoulder in assurance. "You are. You're just my... considerably more courageous friend."     Kento grinned. "That's true."     "And besides," Robyn added. "If he knew about this he wouldn't let either of us go."     "So what brought this on, anyway?" Kento had to wonder.     "Oh, I made a bet with these guys in my second hour. They think I'm too chicken to go into some house in the middle of the night. They figured they were doing me a favor by letting me take someone along. I thought you might come since you still owe me that date from when we were at the cabin. Besides, I got some good money riding on this thing. When we win I'll split the money with you."     Kento nodded, impressed. "I'm game," he grinned. "This will be the cheapest date I've ever been on."     "Great!" Robyn beamed as she slapped him on the back. "Friday night it is." 

***** 

    That Friday night, Kento and Robyn's 'date' turned into more of a 'lounge around Kento's house and eat junk food' type endeavor. It was getting late and Robyn had graciously volunteered to help get the younger children - mainly Chun Fa - into bed. Mama Faun had just gotten home from a frantic day at work and was very grateful for the assistance.     "Now why couldn't my oldest have been a girl like that," Mama Faun mentioned as she walked by where Kento was lounging on the couch.     "Aw, Ma! Give it a rest," Kento whined. "I do plenty of stuff around here. Just because I didn't offer to help one night..."     "Well, I'll remember this the next time I make my homemade blueberry pie."     Kento clenched his fists at the threat. She always knew how to hit him where it counted. And bringing his favorite dessert into the argument was low, even for her.     "Geeze!" Kento exclaimed. "Fine, I'm going already!" The Warrior of Strength moodily tromped up the stairs while his mother watched him with amusement.     "Gets him every time," she smiled to herself.     Kento traveled the few steps on the second level where Chun Fa's bedroom door was cracked open. Kento didn't go inside right away, instead he stayed behind the door frame, listening as Robyn read Horton Hatches an Egg to his baby sister. She was doing the best Mazy Bird impression he had ever heard while she was at it.     "Well, that's it, Shorty," Robyn announced as she reached the end and slapped the book shut. "Now time for bed, so hop to it."     Chun Fa grinned and happily climbed under her covers. "That was a great story," she announced happily. "You even read it better than Kento. He always gets stuck with the big words."     "Hey, hey," Kento protested as he finally made himself known. "I thought we were going to keep that to ourselves." He leaned against the doorway and grinned, not looking as put out as he had made himself to sound.     Robyn looked up and smiled at him. "Well, you know that Dr. Seuss, those rhymes are sure hard reading sometime."     "Yeah, yeah. Real funny," Kento said in an unamused tone. "We better get going soon or we'll be late."     "Robyn?" Chun Fa asked as she got up to leave.     She paused and waved Kento out. "Yeah?"     "Is Kento your boyfriend now?"     Robyn chuckled. "What is it with you and boyfriends?"     The little girl looked confused. "Don't you want one? I thought all girls want to have a boyfriend."     "Not this girl," Robyn announced. "You need to stop watching so much TV. Relationships come in their own due time. No need to try to force them upon yourself early. But if it makes you feel any better, I'll leave Cye for you when you're ready for one."     "Yeah!" Chun Fa instantly agreed.     Robyn laughed as she turned off the light. "Night, kiddo."     "Robyn?" Chun Fa instantly asked again. "Will you close the closet door? I can't sleep with it open. It's dark and scary."     Robyn gazed down the hall to the open doorway on the opposite end. "No problem," she smiled. "Good night."     Chun Fa happily closed her eyes as Robyn made her way across the upper floor to the other side. She gazed inside at the large multipurpose game room, most often referred to simply as 'the closet'. The darkened room seemed to swallow all the light that spilled in from the hall. Robyn had to agree why Kento's sister was afraid of it. She also had to admit there was a creepy feeling in the air that made her shiver. Maybe it was just because it was late, or maybe because she had been thinking about that haunted house all day. Nevertheless, Robyn was more than happy to get the door closed and then get away from it.     "Okay, I'm ready now," Robyn announced as she came down the stairs. Kento was already at the bottom waiting for her with her jacket in his hand.     "We're heading out now, Ma," he called to the other room.     Mama Faun appeared a moment later as Robyn put on her jacket. "And where will you be headed?" she asked.     "We're gonna catch a late movie," Kento said without skipping a beat. "So don't bother waiting up. You need your sleep."     His mother smiled. "Fine, you just drive safe," she said as she kissed her oldest son on the cheek. "And behave yourself."     "Aw, Ma," Kento whined. "You know I'll be good."     Mama Faun grinned. "We'll see, but I'm sure Robyn will keep you in line." The red-haired girl chuckled and nodded at this. "You two have fun then."     "We will," Kento promised as they started out the door. "G'night."     The two had gone to the late movie like they said they would. But after that, it was a different story. Kento didn't turn down the road that would lead him home or even to Robyn's neighborhood. Instead, he kept driving until he was headed out of town. The jeep roamed down one dilapidated street and stopped across the road in front of a particularly rundown house. A clean, well kept truck with two boys inside were already there waiting when they got out.     "I didn't think you'd actually come," Hiroshi said as they approached his truck on foot. The other kid sitting with them didn't say anything and looked very nervous compared to his cool friend.     "Hey, I don't back out of anything," Robyn challenged.     "I see you brought Rei Faun with you." Hiroshi only glanced at the burly boy behind her. "Is he here to be your bodyguard?"     "Yeah," Robyn shrugged. "You said yourself the house is falling apart, so why take chances? Besides," she added. "I needed someone who's good at gloating for when we win."     Kento smirked at that remark while Hiroshi merely glared at him.     "Fine," he said nonchalantly. "Here." He handed her two plastic objects.     "Glow sticks?" Robyn guessed.     "Yeah," Hiroshi smirked. "I wouldn't want you falling into some demon hole by accident before you can run out screaming. Then you'd win the bet. Besides, it makes it creepier when you can only see two inches in front of you."     "How kind," Robyn mumbled as she broke the capsules in the two sticks and started shaking them until they glowed in the dark. "And what will you be doing while we're inside?"     "We'll be right here, timing you to see how long it takes before you both come bawling for your mommies."     Robyn remained undaunted by the remark though Kento started to look more than a little annoyed. "Right, and how will we know when an hour is up?"     "IF you make it the entire hour we'll honk the horn when it's time to come out. But we want to see those glow sticks in the window of the top floor at least once so we know for sure you went all the way in."     "That's fine with me," Robyn agreed. "Come on, Kento." She handed him one of the glow sticks and they started off for the house.     Kento paused in front of the house to take a look at it. He had never in his life been this close to it before. He had heard all kinds of horror stories about this place as far back as he could remember. His schoolmates told them to him and he, of course, took them home to scare the socks off his younger brothers. But this was the first time he was presented with the opportunity to go inside it.     Earlier that day he hadn't worried about it, thinking this would be a piece of cake after having faced floating demon heads and evil warlords for the fate of the planet. But now that he was here, he couldn't ignore the icy fingers jutting up his spine nor the feel of his soul sinking into the pit of his stomach. Kento never knew which stories about this house were true, but one thing he was sure of; something felt wrong about this house.     "Hey, Kento," Hiroshi called from his car. "No use just standing there. We're not starting the timer until you actually get in the house!" There was laughter from across the road and Kento was sorely tempted to educate them on what fear really was.     "Don't mind those jerks," Robyn told him. If she felt any affects of the unnerving house she didn't show it. "Let's just get in and get this over with so I can get my money. Then we'll go out for ice cream or something."     "Sounds like a plan to me," Kento agreed as he stooped to get under the broken door, following Robyn into the old dilapidated house.     The first thing they did upon entering was look around their surroundings as much as possible with the little light they had. Robyn's first prerogative was to make sure there were no hazards on the ground where they were walking while Kento insistently kept checking out the doorways to make sure nothing was there. He was starting to get a bit flustered at Robyn's lack of concern for their predicament. She was making him look like the coward of the group!     "Doesn't this place bother you at all?" he asked in a quiet voice.     "Not really," Robyn replied casually as she made her way slowly forward. She was already starting to look for the staircase.     "But haven't you heard... the stories?" Kento said the last part even quieter than before, as if afraid the spirits listening in the walls would hear.     "Yeah, I had to listen to all of them during second hour."     "Doesn't that bother you at all? Man, can't you just feel the creepy vibes in this place?"     "Pfff," Robyn made a sound of dismissal in the dark. "It's all how you look at it, Kento. Come on, I'll show you." She took his hand and pulled him to the far wall where a black, empty fireplace lay dormant. She pulled him down so both were squatting next to it with their little glow sticks together barely light enough to see it.     "Take this fireplace, for example," Robyn explained. "Now what if the owner of this house was someone's grandma? She would sit in her rocking chair right over there knitting sweaters for the grandchildren playing up stairs while all these cats sleep around in this warm room. Or it's Christmas and there's a tiny little tree in this corner here and we've got a little girl and a little boy playing with their new toys by the fire while a puppy chews on the paper wrappings."     Kento's face lightened a little at the thought, but instantly went serious again. "And what if this place was used for devil-worshiping fires and this is where they burned the bodies of all their sacrificial victims?"     Robyn momentarily threw him a 'thanks-for-the-wonderful-thought' type look, but then she smiled herself. "Ah, but picture all the demons with marshmallows over their devil-worshiping fires. They're making Evil S'mores, heh."     Kento laughed. "Where do you come up with these kind of things?"     Robyn shrugged. "Trust me, I've seen scarier stuff than this. It's not so bad."     Kento's smile disappeared as Robyn stood up. He had thought the same thing earlier until he had actually gotten here. So how was it he was the one who was so nervous?     "Come on," Robyn said as she pulled him up. "Let's go upstairs and stand in the window so the guys can see us. Then we can go do whatever we want for the rest of the hour. I just hope Hiroshi doesn't pull a fast one on us and honk the horn early just so we'll loose the bet."     "Don't sweat it, Robyn," Kento said. "I'm timing us, too with my Indeglow." He motioned to his wrist where he pressed a button and his watch glowed so they could see the time.     Robyn grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "I knew there was a reason I brought you. Now let's go. I just hope those stairs can still hold our weight. This house is a bit older than I initially thought it would be."     Slowly, carefully the two made their way through the house, dodging the occasional spider web or rotting floor plank. It took them a while of inching around in the pitch black before they were finally able to locate the aging staircase.     "About time," Robyn said as she tugged on the handrail experimentally. It seemed sturdy enough. Robyn bent down closer to examine the first step before edging some of her weight on it. The wood whined and creaked under her shoe, but other than that, it held.     As Robyn went about testing the first few steps, Kento cautiously looked around him. There were still too many dark open doorways for his comfort. All together too much house and too much darkness within. He could only guess at what horrible things they would find if they ventured forth to these other rooms; or even to the upstairs. What if they found implements of black magic or human bones or human blood? Or worse, what if they found something that wasn't quite dead?     Kento had to force himself to stop. His wandering mind was beginning to unnerve the once thought to be fearless warrior. He tried to conjure up the old image of marshmallows and S'mores Robyn had provided him with, but it didn't work this time. That strange feeling in the pit of his stomach began to return. That haunting feeling that something was watching, waiting.     He gazed worriedly, on the brink of fear, around the room. In the corner of his eye he thought he saw something. A flash of movement. His eyes snapped back to that place, but whatever it happened to be, there was nothing there now. An involuntary shiver ran through his body. Kento could have sworn he saw something.     "Come on, Kento," Robyn called to him from halfway up the stairs. "Don't worry, they'll hold you."     Kento snapped out of his shock when he realized his only company in this creepy place was leaving him. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" he called as he dashed up the steps. "Man, I think I saw something down there."     "Probably a rat or something," Robyn confided as she continued up the stairs without even looking back. "I bet all kinds of creatures use this place for their home."     They reached the top of the stairs. Kento almost jumped when he felt a cold hand touch his arm. But he instantly relaxed when he realized who it was. Robyn's fingers searched his arm until she was able to slip her small hand into his larger one. Kento could see her smiling at him slightly by the faint green light of her glow stick. Could it be that she was starting to get scared herself? Either way, the small gesture made Kento feel better.     "To make sure we stick together," Robyn explained quietly as she pulled him further on. Kento just nodded and squeezed her hand, wondering if she noticed how hot and sweaty his palm had gotten.     "There we go," Robyn announced. "Boy, we sure lucked out with that full moon tonight."     She pointed down the hall. The only way the two could tell there was a window at the far end of the house in the pitch blackness was that moonlight was shining through the dusty glass.     "Yeah, just great," Kento muttered, remembering all the scary things that came out during a full moon.     Robyn ignored his tone and pulled him along. They slowly edged down the hall and into what was probably used as a bedroom at one time. Across the open floor they stepped until they finally reached the window and its precious rays of moonlight.     "Here we are, Hiroshi, you big jerk," Robyn muttered to herself as she waved her glow stick in the window. "You know, Kento, the more I get to know that guy the less I like him. I wish this stupid stick was bright enough so he could see me flip him off."     Kento laughed. "I'd gladly join you. Heck, he's probably down there fuming already. Did you hear how he sounded earlier? He didn't think we would even make it this far. He's so full of himself. And I bet that little weasel he brought with him has peed his pants by now."     Robyn laughed loud enough that it echoed throughout the empty house. "He'll probably have a heart attack before we can get back."     Both had a good chuckle and then it went quiet.     "So..." Kento said as he fiddled with his glow stick.     "So..." Robyn echoed as she blew her long bangs out of her face.     "Wanna go back downstairs now?"     "Yeah."     They both turned away from their small amount of light and back towards the black doorway. This time Kento was the one who reached out for Robyn's hand. She gladly accepted it and once again took the lead. Robyn had just barely made it through the doorway when she screamed and jumped back into Kento.     "What? What?" Kento panicked as he dropped his glow stick and grabbed her shoulders.     Robyn clutched at her heart as she pointed across the hall. A small glowing green object floated at the other end.     "Mirror," Robyn explained as she waved her stick and the reflection followed. "Didn't see that on the way up. Scared me half to death."     "Geeze! Don't do that again!" Kento admonished as he bent to retrieve his glow stick. "Just about killed me, too!"     Robyn shook her head. "Man, there just had to be a mirror in this place. Now that really creeps me out."     No sooner had those words escaped her mouth than Robyn wished she hadn't spoken them. You just don't say things like that in places like these. That was as if inviting things to happen. In an instant Robyn's brave facade retreated and she could tell by the way Kento squeezed her hand that he wasn't doing much better. A sudden chill seemed to go through the house as the two pressed on towards the staircase.     Robyn kept her head down as she went, keeping her eyes focused on the banister. She refused to look ahead at that crooked, cracked mirror. Often reflections showed more that what appeared to the naked eye and Robyn wasn't too thrilled about seeing anything more than those stairs. Kento was trying to do the same thing. He kept his eyes on Robyn's back. Since everything else was hidden by the night, he wouldn't be able to see much anyway. The first stair creaked as Robyn eased her weight onto it. Kento looked up at the cracked mirror on the wall and his breath froze in his throat. The reflection revealed some dark figure standing behind him in the doorway. One with glowing red eyes. Kento whirled around to face what he had seen, but now the doorway was empty. He gazed back to the mirror again. Nothing.     "Uh, Robyn," he called, panic clearly rising in his voice.     "Kento, be quiet," Robyn shushed. "You're just going to make it worse."     "Robyn, maybe we should get out of here, I saw-"     "Look, let's just get downstairs, okay? No need to start panicking." By now Robyn had let go of his hand and was focusing all her energy into simply getting to the bottom of the stairs.     "Robyn!" Kento called as he jumped after her.     Suddenly there was a sickening snap and in an instant the two teens' dark world collapsed in on itself. The stairway beneath her feet seemed to disappear and Robyn felt herself fall. How far she fell, she never knew. But it was far enough that it hurt when she hit solid ground. The collision knocked the wind out of her and a shower of years of dust and broken wood fell from above.     Robyn dared not move until the house was quiet again. Then slowly she eased herself out of the fetal position she had curled up in. She coughed as she removed the layer of dust and boards that had fallen over her. Her forehead hurt. She reached up to feel a wet spot. Blood. It didn't seem too bad so she merely wiped it off on her sleeve. Robyn lifted her head when in the distance she heard the screeching of tires as they retreated down the road. Hiroshi.     "Cowards!" she spat into the darkness. "Those blasted cowards!"     That was when Robyn realized something was wrong. There was no friendly voice from the shadows to join in on her cursing. "Kento?" she called to the darkness.     Nothing.     "Kento, where are you?" her voice grew meeker with every word. "Please answer me."     The only answer she received was the creaking of the old house as it settled and the echoes of her own voice. Robyn forced back the panic that was pushing its way up her throat. She had to stay calm, she had to think. She had no light whatsoever now, not even enough to see her hand in front of her face. Both glow sticks were more than likely buried beneath the rubble. She would never find them.     Slowly Robyn edged her way through the darkness on her hands and knees, feeling her way around blindly. Her whole body was sore, she could feel every bruise. Especially her sides, it hurt whenever she touched them. But Robyn refused to give in to her own pain. She had to find Kento. Moving on, she bit back a cry as her leg sank into a rusty upturned nail. She pulled back before it went in too deep, but now was not the time to worry about it. It was several frighteningly long minutes before Robyn happened upon a large heap of rubble. She felt an arm sticking out of it. The skin was still warm.     "Kento?" she asked as she started to remove the debris off the body. He didn't move, didn't make a sound. Robyn could feel the tears stinging her eyes as she felt around his chest, searching upward until she came in contact with his neck. The skin was sticky with blood but Robyn pressed her fingers against it nonetheless. A different feeling of relief surged through her when she found a strong pulse beneath her fingertips. Tilting her face closer, she could feel his rhythmic breathing. But Kento was out cold.     "Oh, man," Robyn fretted. "Don't worry, Kento, I'm going to get you out of here. You'll be okay."     It took all her strength just to heft the more massive form into a sitting position. Kento's limp head fell against her shoulder. Robyn put her arms around him when she noticed there was still a piece of wood clinging stubbornly to his back.     "What is this?" Robyn wondered.     She tried to brush the object away but it refused to budge. In an attempt to figure out what was keeping it there, Robyn slid her nimble fingers beneath the wood where she found not one, but two large nails embedded in Kento's back.     "Oh, Kento, I'm so sorry this happened," Robyn whispered to him. "This is all my fault."     She gritted her teeth before closing her eyes and yanking the board away from the body. Kento didn't stir. Robyn reached back to feel the wounds, but there wasn't much blood there. She wondered if that was a good sign or bad. Either way, she didn't have time to worry about that now. The important thing was to get Kento out of the house and to a hospital as soon as possible. Her main task would be dragging Kento's weight out the door only...     Robyn looked around as the realization suddenly hit her. There was no door. It, like the window, was easy to spot because the door merely hung on its hinges and the moonlight could clearly be seen shining through the opening. But here Robyn saw no moonlight, just darkness. B    ut if there was no moonlight, that meant they had fallen farther than Robyn had thought. They must have gone right through the floor to the basement. Robyn's heart jumped into her throat. They were at the bottom - trapped with no way out in a not only rumored to be haunted house, but a very dangerous and unstable house as well. Robyn couldn't hold back any more as tears of fear and frustration flowed down her cheeks.     "I'm sorry," she choked into Kento's lifeless shoulder. "I can't do it. I need help. I don't know what to do."     Right then, Robyn noticed something she somehow missed before. Something inside the front of Kento's shirt was... glowing? Robyn reached down his collar and pulled out what appeared to be a glowing orange marble on a chain that was around his neck. The light radiating from it was brighter than any glow-in-the-dark toy Robyn had ever seen. But it was light and Robyn wasn't about to question it. She removed the object from Kento's neck and held it by the chain out in front of her. The glowing orb instantly lit up the room and in the far corner, Robyn saw what was left of the stairs reaching just high enough to get to the level above.     In that instant, Robyn felt her heart lighten. She couldn't believe her luck! Nor could she explain how this simple little ball suddenly made her feel safe and unafraid. Thanking whatever powers were watching over her that night, Robyn slipped the chain around her own neck so she could continue to have light as she proceeded with the task at hand. The small girl wasted no time in draping Kento's arms over her shoulders and half dragged, half carried him towards their only way out.     Worry pricked at the back of her mind as Robyn neared the stairs. The whole frame looked so frail. It would be a wonder if it would hold her weight, let alone Kento's. She could probably make it out safely if she went up alone. A small plan entered her mind as she thought about leaving him while she got out and then ran for help. But she dismissed that quickly. There was no way in the world she was going to leave Kento alone for any reason. Either they both got out or they would both stay, she decided as she started ever so slowly up the rickety stairs.     The going was slow. The whole thing creaked with a threat to break with each step, but Robyn pressed on. The length of Kento's body was laid down the length of the stairs as to keep his weight distributed so that one stair wouldn't have to hold it all. Robyn went up backwards, tugging the limp body with her one step at a time. Some of the steps were already broken and Robyn almost fell in a few times. The stairs groaned and swayed as they got higher. Almost at the top now, there was a space of about two and a half feet above from where the stairs ended and the upper floor began. And when you're a small girl trying to haul something twice your size and weight, two and a half feet can be a long way.     Robyn wiped her forehead again as blood started to drip into her eye. She had to pause to catch her breath. Her sides hurt so bad from the strain it was hard to breath. Reaching up to the boards above her, Robyn tested to see if it was sturdy enough to hold them. Well, it was sturdier than the stairs they were on anyway. That was good enough for her.     She stood carefully, knowing that putting all her weight on the top stair alone was dangerous enough. Gingerly she reached down and started to pull her companion up with her. "Please hold, please hold," she muttered to herself as the stairs sounded like they would give way any second.     Robyn gritted her teeth as she pulled the dead weight up with her and fought to get a standing position on the top stair. One arm was wrapped around Kento while the other held to the floorboards in order to steady herself. Robyn was slowly easing the limp body onto the floorboards when there was another snap similar to the first one.     Robyn screamed as the stairs broke beneath her. At that very flash of an instant, Robyn gave up. She had done everything in her power and it still wasn't enough. There was no way she could hold onto the floorboards and Kento and then pull them both up. She just couldn't go on anymore. So instead she planned on accepting her fate.     But also in that same instant something else happened. As the stairs collapsed, a strong arm suddenly snapped to life. Robyn felt herself fall for only a microsecond before something grabbed her and pushed her back up the floorboards.     "Kento!" Robyn cried with relief as she dangled by her arms from the floorboards.     The Warrior of Strength himself was only holding on by one hand. "Always in the nick of time," he smirked with his usual charisma. He latched on with his other hand and pulled himself up. Robyn had a harder time climbing out. She was exhausted, plus her sides were killing her. Kento offered her a hand but was only able to pull her up part way before he suddenly crumbled unconscious again. Robyn was able to pull herself the rest of the way out, but she still whimpered pathetically as she lost her friend again. This night seemed to go on forever and she was so tired!     But now the door was mere feet away and past it, Kento's jeep. After taking a moment to catch a second wind, Robyn once again draped the lifeless mass over her shoulder and slowly dragged him out of the cursed house, across the road and finally to the jeep. With her last ounce of strength she hoisted Kento into the passenger seat. Her right pant leg was soaked in blood from her earlier puncture wound as she limped around to the driver side and got in.     "Never... again..." she panted to herself as she started the roaring engine.     Robyn didn't even look back as they drove towards the city. 

***** 

    It was very late at night - or very early in the morning, depending on your perspective. The halls of the Toyama hospital were practically empty during this time. The late shift staff went about their own business and hardly anyone noticed or even saw Cye Mouri as he traveled swiftly down the hall. At his heels was his friend Ryo Sanada. Both boys' clothes and hair looked like they had just woke up - which was probably true - and there was a feeling of urgency in their stride.     A middle aged woman stood behind the desk as Cye stormed up to it and slammed his palm on top. "Where are they?" he demanded in a voice the nurse was obviously not expecting from the thin boy.     "Wha - wh-who is it you're here for?" the nurse struggled to recover from the surprise.     "Easy, Cye," Ryo said as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder. He gave the nurse a calming smile. "We got a call that Kento Rei Faun and Robyn McCarthy are here."     "Oh, yes," the nurse replied as she suddenly jumped into action. "They came in about twenty-five minutes ago."     "What happened? Are they okay?" Cye asked in a more tempered voice.     The nurse flipped through some papers on her desk as she searched for information. "The young man was unconscious when he was brought in. I think he's awake now. He had a pretty bad fall. He also had some nail punctures in his back. But he should be fine as soon as the doctors finish patching him up."     That explanation only relieved Cye for the moment. "What about Robyn?" he pressed.     The nurse merely stood and started down the hall. "Follow me," she said. 

    Robyn sat tiredly as a blonde female doctor stood over her and stitched the long cut across her forehead together. It hurt a bit but Robyn was too exhausted to care. She still had no energy from her earlier experience and it was also very late. Her eyes slowly wandered around the room until they happened to land on the nametag pinned to her doctor's collar. Dr. Date.     "So you're Sage's mom?" Robyn suddenly asked.     Dr. Date stopped what she was doing and smiled down at her patient. "Why, yes I am."     "I saw your name tag and you look kinda like him so I guessed you were," Robyn relayed in a monotone voice.     "Ah. So are you one of his many admirers?" Dr. Date asked with a teasing overtone. Robyn raised an eyebrow at her in such a way that she immediately knew the answer was negative.     "So how have you come to know him then?" Sage's mother probed.     "I have some classes with him and I hang with Cye and those guys so I usually see him before and after school and during lunch."     "Really," Dr. Date mumbled as she finished her stitching job. "Sage never tells me anything about school and such. I'm always in the dark when it comes to things like this."     A door opened and a nurse and two boys walked in. Robyn flinched on the inside when she saw that familiar patch of rusty brown hair.     "Cye," she greeted with a small 'please don't get mad at me' smile.     "Robyn, are you okay?" Cye asked worriedly as he rushed to her. "I got a call from my mom that you and Kento were at the hospital. What the heck happened?"     He grabbed her upper arms, pressing them to her sides in his urgency for answers. Robyn squeaked in pain when he did this and instantly pulled out of his grip.     "Careful," Dr. Date advised gently. "She has a few bruised ribs."     "Oh, gee, Robyn, I'm sorry," Cye quickly apologized. "Are you going to be okay?"     "She'll be fine," Dr. Date assured them. "She'll just be a little tender for a few days."     "You're telling me," Robyn grimaced as she slid carefully off the table. Cye just watched, not sure what to do any more and almost afraid to touch her again. Robyn walked with a slight limp over to Ryo and studied his appearance. The dark haired boy was dressed in frumpy sweats and a jacket. His hair was uncombed and there were bags under his eyes.     "I'm sorry, you guys," Robyn said ruefully. "I didn't mean to make a mess of things. This is all my fault."     Ryo pushed a stray strand of hair out of his face with one hand while he put the other on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. At least you're okay."     "Why don't you three go out and sit down," Dr. Date suggested. "You can talk about what happened and I'll go check on your other friend."     They did just that. The tired trio found a group of chairs to sit at and Robyn relayed only the main parts of what happened that night. She decidedly left out certain details but told them her best guess at to what Kento's current condition was.     "And now that that's settled, all I have to do is call Mom," Cye announced as he stood. He headed straight for the pay phone on the wall.     "Why didn't she come?" Robyn wondered.     "She wasn't feeling well so she called me at Ryo's house and told me to tell her what's going on when I got here," Cye explained as he dialed.     Robyn nodded and the hospital went quiet again. There was an occasional staff worker walking about with the usual hospital noises resounding through the halls. Cye's voice added to the mix as his mother answered the other end. Robyn's head drooped as she started to nod off. The side of her head made it all the way down to Ryo's shoulder before she snapped awake and once again tried to fight off the weariness. Her eyes wandered down the hall and happened upon a familiar figure heading toward them.     Ryo looked at her as Robyn suddenly snapped to attention. She got up as if in a trance. This time there was not trace of a limp as she marched towards the approaching person.     "Robyn," Hiroshi greeted. "I heard you guys came here. I'm so glad you-"     Ryo jumped to his feet as the boy was cut off by Robyn's small but powerful fist as it collided with the side of his face. Hiroshi stumbled back in surprise and pain - almost falling over backwards.     "YOU LEFT US THERE! YOU BASTARD!" Robyn screamed at him. "YOU COWARD! YOU FREAKING COWARD!"     Upon hearing this, Cye gave his mother a hasty good-bye and hung up the phone to run to the scene. Ryo was already there, gently holding the girl back by the shoulders before she could attack Hiroshi again.     "Geeze! What the heck is the matter with you??" Hiroshi yelled back as he clutched his face.     "Kento could have died and you left us trapped in that stupid house, you jerk!" Robyn spat back.     Her breathing became labored and she pulled away from Ryo's grip so she could hold her aching sides. She let out short, quick breaths as she tried to get the pain to subside. Hiroshi was going to say something to her but Cye stepped between them with a stern expression on his face.     "I think you should go," he told the other boy.     Hiroshi stared the smaller framed boy down for a minute.     "Yeah," he finally relented and turned around and left. Cye stood where he was as if making sure Hiroshi wasn't going to try and sneak back in. Ryo, on the other hand, was helping Robyn sit down.     "Ouch," Robyn choked as she finally made it to her seat. "This is soooo not fun."     "You going to be okay?" Ryo asked worriedly.     "Yeah," Robyn assured him with a tired smile. "I'll live anyway."     She frowned as she looked down at her now throbbing fist. She had never punched anyone before. It made her hand hurt. "But now I feel like a total hypocrite after giving you that huge spill last time I was over at your house. It just made me so mad that he did that to us. I..."     "It's okay," Ryo assured her as he put an arm around her shoulders. "If anyone deserved a fist in the face it was that guy."     "Hey, hey, look who's back from the dead," a familiar voice announced.     Everyone turned to see Kento coming down the hall with a male doctor beside him. He looked far more worse for wear than Robyn did. His face had been cleaned up but there were still several cuts around his face and neck and his shirt was still stained with blood from the ordeal. His left arm was in a small sling and he walked stiffly.     "Kento!" all three announced as they rushed to him.     "How are you feeling, Kento?" Cye was the first to ask.     "I hurt everywhere, but the doctor says I get to go home anyway," Kento explained with his usual good humor.     "Man, you look bad, Kento," Ryo joked with him. "What's the deal? I know of certain fights we've had in the past where you didn't come out looking nearly this beat up."     Kento looked his friend in the face. "A staircase collapsed and I fell two stories, Ryo. Give me a break!"     "How's your back?" Robyn asked.     His face suddenly dropped. "They gave me a tetanus shot," he mumbled.     "Me too," Robyn admitted, rubbing the sore spot on her arm. "I'm really sorry this happened, Kento. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have dragged you along with me."     "Never," Kento argued as he suddenly got serious. "I'd rather this happened to me than this happened to you and you were all by myself. I just wish I was in well enough condition to hunt down that little weasel Hiroshi and introduce him to my fist!"     Cye and Ryo chuckled. "You don't have to worry about that," the latter explained. "Robyn here already knocked him one for you."     "Really?" Kento said, grinning at her.     "Yeah," Robyn mumbled. "He came in just a little while ago and I kinda punched him."     "Way to go, Robyn," Kento cheered. "That made it all worthwhile. Heck, I'd even hug ya, but my ribs are all bruised."     "Tell me about it," Robyn said, putting her arms lightly around her own sides.     "WHERE'S MY KENTO!" bellowed a female voice from down the hall. "I WANT TO SEE MY BOY!"     "Ah, Ma's here," Kento took note. Up the hall came both Kento's parents, his father doing his best to console his over-anxious mother. "It just keeps getting better," Kento mumbled just before they noticed the four teens standing there.     "KENTO! And Robyn!" Mama Faun announced when she saw them. She broke free from her husband and ran in their direction. "Oh, I'm so glad you're both okay! Come here!"     She reached out to hug them both but they immediately pulled away in fear while Cye and Ryo at the same time tried to stop the worried mother. "Careful, Ma," Kento whined. "We're still sore."     Mama Faun's expression turned instantly from relief to stern. "Well, I should hope so! Getting a call from the hospital in the middle of the night! What in the world happened to you two anyway?"     Robyn sighed and hung her head. "It's a long story," Kento spoke tiredly.     "Well, we've got all night," Mrs. Mouri, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, announced.     Before Cye could even question how she got there so fast, both mothers started in on the lecturing of their respective charges. Robyn and Kento merely took the verbal berating with respectful tolerance. Neither said a word in their defense as they merely looked at each other, grateful to at least have someone to share the consequences with. After that was over, the three parents spent some time talking to the doctors about the two teens' current conditions and then filling out papers before the patients finally were released.     "Now, I think it's time we all went home and discussed what happened," Mrs. Mouri announced to Cye and Robyn. "Ryo, you're welcome to join us and stay the night since we've already spoiled your sleepover." The bearer of Wildfire nodded in acceptance.     "I think we should do the same," Mama Faun said to her son. "Come along. I'm sure we still have much to talk about." Kento groaned but obediently followed.     "Oh, Kento," Robyn stopped him before they left. He turned around as she pulled off a chain from around her neck. "I don't know where you got this thing, but it saved our lives back there."     She placed Kento's armor orb into his outstretched palm and he, Ryo, and Cye all suddenly had to pretend what they saw in front of them was merely a harmless little trinket instead of their collective deepest secret. Kento just nodded dumbly at Robyn before hastily shoving the orange object into his pocket.     "Come on, Robyn, let's go home now," Mrs. Mouri called as she started down the hall. Cye and Ryo started to follow.     Robyn lingered behind and turned to her battered friend. "At any rate, Kento, thanks for the adventure." She stood on her toes and lightly kissed his cheek. Kento looked surprised at first but then smiled.     "Anytime," he whispered.     Robyn suddenly laughed aloud. "Not anytime soon, I hope," she said with a wink. Kento chuckled in agreement. "Well I'd better go before Cye's mom start's yelling at me some more," Robyn smiled. "I'll see you later. Take care of yourself, okay?"     Kento nodded. "You, too."     Robyn turned and left down the hall the others had gone. Kento approached his parents and they, too left for home. 

***** 

    Robyn scratched at the stitches still embedded in her forehead. They were exactly a week old now and starting to get itchy. It was quite late and she sat on the floor in her warm black and yellow flannel pajamas. She was perched atop her sleeping bag on the floor because tonight she wasn't staying at Cye's house, or any other house she had been to before.     The girl with the short black hair, brown eyes, and glasses laying on the sleeping bag next to hers was named Kami. Robyn had first met her shortly after she had moved into her new school. They had a class together which was how they knew each other. Kami was a very soft spoken but pleasant girl. She didn't have a lot of friends but Robyn found out she was an extremely nice person when you got to know her and the two more or less became friends. This was the first time Robyn had been invited over to Kami's house and she was also staying the night.     The two girls were having a wonderful time talking and laughing that night. Robyn was really glad she had been invited over for Cye was having Kento spend the night at their place and Robyn just didn't want to be around them then. And it was so refreshing to actually have a female friend for which to converse and to talk to about things she would never say to any of her male acquaintances. It was at this time Robyn made a point to tell Kami just that.     "You really think so?" the dark haired girl asked as she propped her chin up on one hand and grabbed a handful of conveniently placed popcorn with the other.     "Oh yeah," Robyn assured her as she, too reached for popcorn. "You have no idea how nice it is to actually have a friend the same gender. I mean, the guys are fun to hang around with and stuff but sometimes I feel like the odd person out, you know? Like they're all connected in some way I'm not. And it's not like I can talk to them about things I say to you either."     "Like about guys?" Kami asked with a huge grin.     "Yeah!" Robyn laughed. "Like if we're in the mall or someplace and I see a cute guy I can't say a word or even stop to look or I get teased. Which is all good, you know? Because if one of them actually did stop to talk about guys with me I would seriously start doubting their sexual preferences."     Kami laughed into her pillow. "Oh, Robyn, you crack me up! But you know, in a way I envy what you have."     Robyn furrowed her eyebrows at her friend. "Why?" she demanded as she tossed another kernel of popcorn in her mouth.     Kami sat up in surprise. "What do you mean 'why'? You get to hang out with five incredibly cute and not to mention available guys! Did you even notice? I'm starting to wonder about your sexual preferences now!"     Robyn rolled her eyes. "Don't even start, Kami. I've had enough gay jokes to last me for a while."     "Come on, then," Kami demanded. "You gotta think at least one of those guys is attractive!" Robyn merely shrugged. "Okay," Kami tried again. "If you had your pick between those five, who would you rather go out with?"     "Who would you rather go out with?" Robyn challenged with a smirk.     "Hey, I asked first!"     "So? If you tell me I promise I'll tell you."     "Fine. But you can't tell anybody. Ever," Kami relented. "If I could go out with any of them it would be Ryo." She smiled as the name escaped her lips.     "Ryo?" Robyn grinned. "Why him?"     Kami shrugged. "Okay, so he's not as good looking as Sage Date, but Sage is so cold. Ryo's in my first hour class and he's just... he's so nice to everybody. He treats everyone the same and he's so fun to be around. I just love guys with that kind of personality. I don't care how good someone looks, when they're stuck on themselves and they treat people like trash it's such a turn off. Oh! And I just LOVE his eyes. Ah." Kami rolled over on her back and hugged her pillow as she was suddenly lost in a daydream.     "Okay, I can agree with you there," Robyn admitted. "Ryo is a sweet guy and he does have nice eyes."     "Sexy eyes," Kami quickly corrected.     "All right, sexy eyes," Robyn repeated with a grin. "But to be honest, Kami, I really don't see myself going out with any of them. I did have a boyfriend once back when I lived in the States, and that turned out to be a disaster. So now, as you can imagine, I'm not too excited about getting another one anytime soon."     "Oh, come on," Kami urged. "Hypothetically, which one would you rather go with? Just tell me, I told you."     "Honestly, Kami, I really don't know. I've never actually thought about it before. Let see, Sage is definitely out. I hardly know him, you couldn't really call us friends in the first place. Rowen maybe..."     "Rowen Hashiba?" Kami protested as she sat up. "Really? He seems kind of stuck-up to me."     "Rowen's not stuck-up, Kami. He's really cool when you get to know him. I don't think the kids give him much of a chance. Just because he works hard and takes high classes they treat him like some sort of out cast or like he thinks he's better than all of them. I feel bad for Rowen sometimes. All he really wants is to just be left alone. I guess I'd go out with him, we'd have fun."     "What about Ryo, the sexiest of all?" Kami asked.     "Calm your hormones, girl," Robyn laughed. "He'd be fun to go with, too. But I think I'll save him for you to stay on the safe side."     "You better," Kami joined in on the laughter. "He's mine."     "Hmm, now that I think about it, I'd have to say Kento would probably be my first choice," Robyn concluded. "Yep, he's my bud. I know him a lot better than those other guys."     "What about Cye?" Kami questioned. "You're around him more than any of the others. In fact, some people already think you guys are together because you're around him so much."     "Cye?" Robyn asked, scrunching up her nose. "I mean, don't get me wrong, he is cute and nice and everything. To be honest, when I was younger I wondered if we would end up together because I've known him for so long. But now... I dunno. He's become more like a brother to me than anything else. Going on a date with him would just feel weird."     "Mmm... I'd still go on a date with Ryo," Kami mumbled dreamily more to herself than her friend.     "I think we've established that already," Robyn replied.     "Oh, but I love his smile. And his hair! Oh, I just want to run my fingers through it. I bet it's so soft. And I-"     "Okay, okay! Ryo's a hottie! I get the point!" Robyn interrupted. "Good grief! Can we talk about something else or do you want talk about your dream guy some more?"     Kami peeked out sheepishly from behind her pillow. "A little more?"     Robyn laughed and Kami instantly joined in. The girls continued talking and giggling up a storm late into the night. 

***** 

    Around the same time in another house, two other teens were involved in a sleepover of their own. Cye and Kento were both lounging on the foldaway couch bed in the living room - Kento in his sweats and Cye in his pajamas with the little yellow fishies printed on them. They had a now empty popcorn bowl between them as the movie they were watching ended. Kento turned to Cye as the credits started rolling on the screen. "You know, call me crazy, Cye, but it's weird at your house now when Robyn's not here."     Cye thought about it a bit and then nodded.     "Yeah, I guess you're right. Robyn's practically part of the family now. Of course, you would notice that sort of thing because you come over all the time. Especially since that incident when you guys got hurt at that old house." Cye raised his pointed eyebrows as the realization suddenly dawned on him. "What's the deal with that anyway?"     Kento raised his eyebrows in the same fashion. "What's it to you?"     "Nothing," Cye insisted. "I'm just curious. Do you like her or something?"     Kento gave a small shrug. "Did Robyn ever talk to you about what happened that night? You know, at the house?"     Cye shook his head. "No, not really. She doesn't ever mention it."     Kento moved his gaze to the ceiling as his face held a thoughtful expression. "I still can't believe she did that, man. Imagine someone her size dragging someone my size up an entire flight. With bruised ribs even! And to be stuck in that place in the dark, she must have been terrified."     "It wasn't your fault, Kento," Cye assured him. "Don't worry about it. It's done and gone."     Kento looked back at his best friend's face. "I know. I just... I still feel bad about it. It's like I left her there all by herself just like Hiroshi did. I still don't know everything that happened while I was out or how she found my armor orb. But she said it saved us. I wonder what she thinks about it."     Cye just nodded thoughtfully. That fact had been on his mind for a while as well.     "Do you think we should tell her about them?" Kento asked. "I mean, she's practically family to you. Don't you think she has a right to know?"     Cye bit his lip and furrowed his brows at his friend. "I don't know, Kento. Perhaps she does have a right to know. But is it really something she'd want to know? Being told of Dark Warlords and evil Dynasty masters trying to wipe out humanity isn't exactly comforting news. And even now, telling anyone about our armors could put them and us in danger. Mia and Yulie have to live with the knowledge and you can bet it's been tough on both of them. I wouldn't want to do that to anyone else I care about."     "Yeah, you're right," Kento agreed with a sigh. "But what about your wife? Would you ever tell her?"     Cye shot him a startled look. "My what?" "    Well you know," Kento continued as if not noticing his friend's reaction. "A relationship is built on trust and honesty. Would you really be comfortable with hiding that from the woman you share your life with? But then again, would she think you were crazy and divorce you if you did tell her?" Kento paused when he noticed Cye staring at him with wide eyes. "What?" he asked. "You do plan on getting married sometime in your life, don't you?"     Cye moved his mouth up and down, for the moment imitating his little underwater friends. "Well I, I..." He shook his head to dismiss all the thoughts running around inside. "Kento, I didn't realize you even thought about these kind of things."     The Warrior of Strength merely shrugged. "Eh, the folks kinda force me to. That's the way it is with my family, it's tradition. Get out, get married, start a family, blah, blah, blah. Doesn't your mom ever mention things like that to you?"     Cye shrugged. "Not really. Besides I've got more important things to worry about right now."     "Speaking of worrying, have you noticed how weird Sage has been acting lately?" Kento asked. "He looks like he hasn't been getting much sleep. I think something's eating him, and now Ryo's been acting uptight lately, too. Do you think something's going on?"     "I don't think so," Cye said as he slid off the foldaway bed to turn off the television. "You know Sage and Ryo, they always have to worry about something. That's just the way they are."     Kento watched thoughtfully as Cye stopped the VCR and then turned off the TV. "Cye, do you believe in ghosts?"     Cye turned around and gave him a crooked smirk. "After all the nether spirits we've fought and you ask me if I believe in ghosts?"     Kento gave his friend an unappreciative frown. "You know what I mean," he insisted. "Like the kind who haunt houses and stuff."     The bearer of Torrent knitted his brows as if seriously considering the question. "Why do you want to know?" he finally countered with a question of his own.     Cye was standing at the foot of the bed as Kento's face got dead serious. "When we were in the house that night, right before the stairs broke, I thought I saw something."     Cye swallowed before answering, his voice hardly a whisper. "What?"     "I don't know. There was this mirror down the hall and I thought I saw a person or something behind me in the reflection. But then I looked and nothing was there. I don't know if I was just seeing things because I was scared or what. But I swear to you Cye, I felt something push me down those stairs before they broke. I'm still not sure if I believe that whole thing was merely an accident. What do you think, Cye?"     The rusty-haired boy didn't say a word. He walked over to his side of the bed in almost a zombie-like state. Kento watched as Cye sat down. He pulled his knees up to his chest instead of sliding under the covers and stared straight ahead as if in a trance.     "When I was a little kid," Cye began in a quiet tone. "We lived in this rickety old house on the other side of town. It's been so long ago, I can't even remember if it all really happened or if I just imagined it. But I would see things out of the corner of my eye or a flash in the mirror. Something was in my house, something I couldn't explain. And even when I couldn't see it, I could feel it. The room would get cold and I could feel my heart freeze in my throat. I never knew what it was, but all the time I lived in that house I could feel something evil watching me."     Cye looked up at Kento whose eyes had grown twice as wide. "Okay, Cye, you're freaking me out now," Kento declared. "I think it's time we just went to sleep and forgot about it."     Cye showed his agreement as he climbed under the covers and settled down onto his pillow. Kento, too, snuggled into the blankets and got himself comfortable. A moment of silence followed after.     "Um... Cye?"     "Yes, Kento?"     "Which one of us is going to go turn off the light?"     "...How about we just leave it on? Unless you really want it off."     "No, no. I'm fine. Good night, Cye."     "Good night, Kento." 


	8. Chapter Eight: Tell the Stars

"Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall"   
By Ghost of the Dawn 

Chapter Eight - Tell the Stars 

    It's funny how life works out sometimes. Even now, Robyn had never mentioned to Cye or the others what a lonely life she lived back in the United States. She wasn't sure what she came looking for when she fled to Japan. Safety perhaps. A place to call home. But even when she came to live with the Mouris she never expected to belong. Not with them. And certainly not with the four other strangers Cye had befriended over their years apart.     But through some strange miracle, she did. Somehow Cye's friends became her own and she was more or less a part of their group. As the weeks and months passed by, their experiences brought them closer. Even the episode with the haunted house was a bonding one - mainly for Kento and Robyn. But all came out different from it. That was a month ago. The air was much colder now as winter was almost upon them. The group of six was now close enough that when even one member was missing it was noticed - even by Robyn.     "Does anyone know where Rowen is today?" was the first thing she said at lunch.     Well, technically, that's not true. The very first thing she said at lunch was, "Hey, Ryo, check out my farm," as she shoved her bare arm under his nose.     Ryo looked at it to see several multicolored stick animals drawn on her skin. "I hope those aren't permanent," he replied.     "Nah," Robyn assured him. "They're done in my milky pens, they come off with water. Look! There's a cat and there's a horse. Kento drew the dog and Cye drew the fish."     "Of course," Ryo grinned.     "And some kids in my other classes drew these other things."     "My turn," Ryo announced as he took the green milky pen from her hand.     Robyn happily reached out her arm to him while Ryo started to draw.     "Does anyone know where Rowen is today?" Robyn asked to the others who were eating quietly. "He didn't show up for math either. We learned all this hard stuff and if Rowen doesn't show me how to do it I'm screwed."     "Rowen went to Tokyo today," Sage said to his lunch.     "Tokyo??" Robyn exclaimed. "What's he doing there?" Sage didn't say anything. "So when's he going to get back?" Robyn probed again.     Sage shrugged and finally looked in her direction. Robyn noticed how not only him, but the others suddenly got serious as well. "I'm not sure. Probably sometime tomorrow."     Robyn sighed. "That guy sure enjoys inconveniencing me any chance he gets." She blew her bangs out of her face. "He better have a good reason for being gone."     "He does."     "Then does anyone care to clue me in on it?"     They all just looked down guiltily at their food.     "Sorry, Robyn," Ryo apologized. "I think it's best we not say anything until we know for sure."     Robyn gave him a surprised look. Was it really something as serious as they were making it out to be? Why wouldn't they tell her? She was Rowen's friend too, wasn't she? The feelings inside her stomach suddenly sank. Perhaps she wasn't as close to them as she thought.     "There," Ryo announced as he handed back her green milky pen. Robyn put it away as if on automatic and didn't even bother to look at her new green pig now scribbled on her pale arm. Her eyes lowered to her sandwich as she ate and kept her disappointment to herself. She hardly listened as Kento sparked up a more lively conversation and soon had everyone laughing. Robyn merely kept quiet and to her own thoughts as the bell rang.     Throughout the rest of the school day Robyn was distracted. She hardly listened to a thing her teachers said - not that she listened to them much to begin with. But her thoughts kept wandering back to Rowen and all the possibilities that could be keeping him. She tried to keep herself from picturing the worst. It probably wasn't as bad as she thought. She knew Rowen's parents were divorced and his father lived in Tokyo. Maybe it was about family problems. That wasn't too bad. Heaven knows Robyn had her share of those. So then why did the guys refuse to tell her about it?     The questions and the uncertainty ate at her but she never said another word about it. Sleep wasn't something that came easily that night either. The worries cut through her dreams and haunted her thoughts while she slept. When the morning came she found herself feeling a bit anxious but she forced herself to calm down and forget about it. The answers should come today.     Needless to say, Robyn was disappointed when Rowen failed to show again for their third period math class. Nor was he there for lunch either. As Robyn walked to her seventh hour class she was tentatively making a plan in her head. Asking Cye or any of the others again was out of the question. They'd probably get after her for being nosy. Perhaps she could sneak off and see if Rowen was at his house? No, she'd just feel stupid. She knew it really wasn't any of her business. The only thing she could do was wait and hope someone would eventually tell her what was going on.     "Robyn, there you are."     Robyn looked at the tall, blue-haired young man with wide eyes as relief flooded over her. On the inside she wanted to hug him tight and let him know how worried she was. But all she managed to do was stand there and look clueless. "Hi, Rowen," she smiled as if nothing ever happened. "Where have you been?"     She noticed instantly that all Rowen's good humor was gone from the way he held himself and the way he replied. "Do you mind if I talk to you for a second?"     Robyn shook her head and Rowen led her to an empty doorway. "So where have you been?" Robyn asked again.     Rowen paused to comb his fingers through his hair. He nodded to Ryo, who passed down the hall on his way to class. It was apparent from the way Ryo continued on that he already knew what Rowen was going to say. The tall young man took a breath and returned his gaze to her.     "As you might know, I just got back from Tokyo. I went to the hospital there to get some scans. Well, they found out I have what's called a chiari malformation of the brain."     Robyn blinked and gave a blank stare.     "Basically, what that means," Rowen tried to explain, "is that my brain is too big for my skull and it's pushing down on my spine and giving me headaches."     Robyn tried to take it all in. "Wow," she said with an ironic smile. "Your brain really IS too big!"     Rowen chuckled. "Yeah, my dad keeps making jokes about it. He says there's no doubt I'm his son now."     Robyn laughed and shook her head. "So I'm guessing this condition is pretty serious."     "Apparently," Rowen nodded. "I'm scheduled for brain surgery in two days; this Sunday."     "Whoa," was all Robyn could get out.     "I know," Rowen said as his earlier confident stance began to falter. He started to look uncomfortable with talking about it now. "It's scary. It's just... really, really scary."     Robyn gave him a sympathetic smile. Again she wanted to hug him to make him feel better, but she doubted Rowen would appreciate the gesture in the crowded hall. "Gee, Rowen, I... I hope it all goes okay for you."     "It should. I mean, the possibility of this being a successful operation is very high."     Robyn blinked. She didn't even consider that. If the doctors messed up Rowen could suffer from brain damage or maybe even death. The thought terrified her - probably terrified Rowen even more.     "Anyway," Rowen continued. "I just had to come to school and at least let everyone I care about know what's going on. I wanted you to hear it from me first before any crazy rumors start spreading around." Robyn bit her lip and nodded. "You should probably get to class now before the bell rings," Rowen said as he turned to leave.     "Wait, Rowen, are you going to be here after school?"     "No. I'm going to the city library right now. I'm going to check the internet to see what else I can find out about this thing."     "Oh," Robyn tried to hide the disappointment in her voice. "Okay then. So I'll see you whenever I see you."     Rowen waved as he left. Robyn suddenly wondered why she was so worried about knowing the truth as she walked to her last class. Now that she had her answers she wished she hadn't been told. The new information had completely floored her. Never before had she faced a crisis like this. Never had she worried about someone close to her like this. But then again, she never had anyone close to her to worry about in the first place. The feeling was completely foreign and Robyn had no idea how to handle it as she sat down at her desk and stared blankly at the wall.     "Hey, are you going to be okay?" Ryo, who was sitting beside her, asked. Robyn hardly noticed his hand on her shoulder. She felt completely numb. She looked to him with that same blank expression and nodded slightly. "It's all right, you know," Ryo continued. "We're all worried about him."     Robyn snapped out of her trance a bit and nodded with a bit more expression before turning to look at her hands resting in her lap. The bell rang and Ryo had to let it go as the teacher began class.     As the instructor started her usual lecture, Robyn zoned out. Hardly a word said in that class even reached her ears and she continued on in almost a trance-like state when the bell rang. She got up and traveled slowly to her locker and opened it. As she fished out her books she could hear a group of kids gathered and chattering in a lively fashion about the weekend.     "Hey guys," one kid announced louder than the hum of the usual voices as he ran to them. "You won't believe what I heard! Rowen Hashiba has a brain tumor!"     Robyn's eyes widened in surprise. Rowen was right about all the crazy rumors. Who would have thought they would spread this fast? Something inside her boiled when some of the kids laughed.     "I knew there was something wrong about that guy," another kid said.     "Yeah, serves him right," a third chimed in.     Robyn slammed her locker door as they laughed again. How she wanted to tell them off, but a lump caught in her throat.     "Shut up," was all she could manage to whisper in a disgusted voice. But the laughing group never heard her as they walked off together in high spirits. Robyn clutched her bag tightly to her chest as she walked out of the school building in even lower spirits than before. She was grateful that no one commented on the mood she was in. Everyone was stuck in their own little world and the place seemed to be empty somehow without Rowen there. Hardly any words were exchanged that day as each parted their own direction for the evening. 

***** 

    Deep blue eyes watched the computer screen intently as nimble fingers clicked the mouse and the screen flashed the information of this site and that. The lanky blue-haired young man was so engrossed in his study he didn't even notice the familiar figure come in until he was almost right beside him.     "Hey, what are you looking for?" Sage asked quietly as he sat down next to his friend.     Rowen only spared him a glance before returning his gaze back onto the screen. "Just trying to find out more information about this thing," Rowen mumbled as he read. "See, there are four types of malformations for this. I've got the first type, which is good. It's the mildest and the easiest to rectify."     Sage nodded. "Okay, so explain to me again just how this works."     "Well, see," Rowen began as he motioned to a graph on the screen. It showed an internal side view of a person's head. "What happened is, you see this little passage here where the brain stem kind of pokes down here next to the spine?"     "Mm-hmm."     "Well, the normal brain is supposed to go down to about here. But my brain has kind of wormed its way a down a bit farther now. See, it's about down to here. So it's literally going down my neck and putting pressure on my spine."     Sage gave Rowen a dubious look. "So just how do they fix it?"     "Well, the doctors are going to go in and remove a small part of my skull at the base of my neck, along with some other membranes and stuff to make room for my brain and then they'll close me up."     Sage made a face. "That - that's a bit more than I wanted to hear."     Rowen shrugged. "You're the one who asked."     Sage shook his head then let it pass. "Come on, Rowen, let's go get something to eat."     Rowen clicked his mouse a few more times before turning away from the screen. "Sounds good." He smiled but Sage could still see the underlying worry in his face.     They traveled a few blocks down to a very familiar restaurant. The smells were, as always, delicious and inviting as they stepped inside. The place was quite full as it usually got around dinnertime. Rowen and Sage decided on a small table next to the window. Sage picked up a menu and read through it; even though both boys knew everything served at the Golden Dragon by heart. Sage peaked over his menu to notice that Rowen hadn't touched his and was, instead, staring out the window with a far off look. Sage opened his mouth to speak to his friend.     "Hello," beamed a bubbly girl in a waitress uniform. "Welcome to the Golden Dragon. I'm Kira and I'll be your waitress this evening."     Sage instantly noticed how the younger girl was talking more to just him that the both of them. She had that look on her face Sage knew all too well. Great. Like he really needed one more love crazed female fawning all over him.     "So what can I get you today?" Kira asked in such a way that suggested she'd gladly give up body and soul if Sage ordered it.     By now, Rowen had been brought back to the current events of the restaurant and was smirking at Sage's situation. The Warrior of Light merely glared at his friend for the lack of assistance before placing his order under his breath. Rowen placed his order next in a more light-hearted manner.     "Rowen, you still seem distracted," Sage commented after the lovesick waitress had left. "Is there something you want to talk about?"     Rowen gave a regretful smile. "I don't have anything you haven't heard before." He gave a frustrated sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "There's just no way I can prepare for something like this, you know? It's so nerve wracking, not knowing what's going to happen. I just wish it would hurry up and be over with so I don't have to worry about it anymore."     Sage nodded merely to be agreeable. He had never experienced anything like what his friend was going through. He didn't know where to begin to help comfort him, so Sage simply held his peace. The two continued in silence, wrestling with their own thoughts. Rowen returned his gaze back out the large window while Sage stared ahead. Several more minutes passed until the young waitress returned with plates of foot balancing on her palms.     "Here you go," she chirped as she quickly set down Rowen's plate. She gave Sage his food slowly, staring at the young man with a lustful expression as she bent over him. Sage bowed his head, wishing for her to leave as soon as possible. But the young girl stayed, grinning at him in a stricken fashion. She was about to blabber something when a large body bumped her out of the way.     "I can take if from here, Kira," Kento informed her in such a manner that didn't leave room for argument.     Kira huffed at the rude interruption between her and the man of her dreams and then stomped off. Kento grinned as he grabbed a chair from another table and pulled it up to join his friends. He sat on it backwards with his arms resting on the back of the chair. "Hey guys, what's up?" he asked cheerfully.     "Kento, you are a lifesaver every day," a relieved Sage said as he clapped his friend on the shoulder.     "Anytime," Kento grinned. "So how are you doing, Rowen? You hanging in there?"     "I'm good," Rowen nodded between bites of food. "Like I told Sage, I just want this thing to be done and over with so I don't have to deal with it anymore."     "That's the spirit!" Kento slapped him on the back hard enough that he almost dropped his chopsticks. "We're all rooting for ya, Ro!"     "Great," Rowen muttered as he looked over his spilled rice. "Really, Kento, it's not that big a deal. I'll be in and out of surgery in no time at all."     Kento grunted. "Heh, tell that to Robyn."     Rowen raised an eyebrow at him. "Why do you say that?"     "You didn't see how she was after school. She totally zoned out on us. You know how girls are. I think she's seriously worried about you, Rowen." The blue haired young man furrowed his brows and stared back at his food. 

***** 

    DING-DONG     Robyn scratched her cheek as she went to get the door. She was dressed in baggy sweats and the sweater she was wearing had been taken from Cye's closet. The sleeves were so large and long her fingers hardly poked out as she turned the doorknob. "Rowen?" she asked as she stifled a yawn with her sleeve.     "Hey," he smiled. Rowen was bright-eyed, considering the lateness of the hour. He was still in his day clothes and looked the same as he did earlier at school, while Robyn was in her socks and her hair was now pulled back in a loose French braid.     "Hey," Robyn repeated, still fumbling from her initial surprise. "Uh, wh-what are you doing here?"     Rowen shrugged casually. "Just coming to pick you up to go stargazing."     "Oh, really." Robyn folded her arms and shot him a skeptic look. She wasn't buying that. Cye's mother would never allow her to go out this late. Not for any reason.     "Ah, there you are, Rowen," Mrs. Mouri smiled when she saw him. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd show up. You two have fun now."     Rowen smiled and nodded while Robyn just stood there and looked befuddled. "You asked Cye's mom if I could go out before you asked me?" she demanded.     Rowen just continued to wear that all-knowing grin of his. "You might want to put some shoes on and grab a heavy coat. It's getting cold outside."     Robyn shook her head in disbelief. She muttered to herself as she went to fetch her shoes and coat. "I can't believe this. Every time he plots about me behind my back. What a friend, what a friend."     "Did I hear Rowen?" Cye inquired as he poked his head out of the kitchen.     "Yep," the bearer of Strata said as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets and leaned against the doorway.     Cye gave him a quizzical look. "What are you doing here?"     "Ready," Robyn announced as she came back fully clothed and ready for the cold night weather.     "Where are you going?" Cye demanded, now stepping fully out into the open with hands on hips.     "Cye, get back into that kitchen and finish cleaning it," his mother scolded.     Cye blinked in surprise. "But... but..."     "You two drive safe now," Mrs. Mouri said to Robyn and Rowen as she opened the door for them.     Cye shot Robyn a look that demanded 'Is Rowen making you do this?' Robyn gave a clueless shrug as she stepped out the door.     "Don't wait up," Rowen called to Cye in a taunting tone before closing the door behind him.     The young British man seethed in the doorway for a moment before stomping back the kitchen in frustration. 

***** 

    Robyn kept quiet in the car while Rowen drove. It was a nice vehicle; not new, but hardly used so it stayed looking new. She watched silently out the window as the city lights disappeared and thick trees began to grow along the sides of the road. She still was trying to figure out how Rowen managed to pull all this off and what his motives for it were in the first place. She knew there was no use asking. By now she had known Rowen long enough to realize that he wouldn't be giving a straight answer to her questions anytime soon.     The car slowed as it turned from the main road and went up a lesser-used dirt road. It started to incline and the trees began to fade for a moment. The top of the hill was grassy and clear and that was where Rowen stopped. Robyn gave him a doubtful look as he killed the engine and stepped out of the car. He moved to the back and opened the trunk. Robyn tarried a moment before opening the door and following after him.     "Here," Rowen said, dumping a few heavy blankets into her arms.     "Rowen," Robyn asked as he ducked his head back into the trunk. "What are we doing? Why did you bring me here?"     Rowen pulled out a curious looking case of some sort and gave her a smile. "You'll see."     Robyn followed after him as he walked away from the road into the grass. With only a crescent moon out it was hard to see so Robyn stayed close as not to loose him. It was clear Rowen had found the spot he wanted when he knelt down in the grass and opened the case he was carrying. "Just set up those blankets right here," Rowen said as he busied himself with his stuff.     Not being sure exactly what he wanted, Robyn unfolded one blanket and spread it on the ground and merely plopped the other two still folded on top. Rowen was still constructing what Robyn had now guessed was a telescope when she was finished. She stuck her hands in her pockets and wandered in a small circle while he worked. Robyn gazed down the hill and was met with the site of Toyama's city lights below.     "Wow, quite a view up here," she commented to herself.     "Yep," Rowen replied as he stood next to her. "You can see the entire city and then some from where we are."     Robyn grinned and then threw back her head and shouted to the sky. "Hello, Toyama!" Her voice flew through the night and bounced off the far mountains, sending odd echoes back at her.     "I love echoes," Robyn told Rowen. "I would listen to my voice bounce around at night when I was lonely sometimes. When the sky was clear it was like talking to the stars and the echo was how they answered back." Robyn chuckled. "One time I tried to have a conversation with them."     Rowen grinned. "How'd you pull that off?"     "Well, something like this," Robyn cupped her hands to her mouth. "Hello!"     "Hello... hello..." her voice answered back.     "How are you?"     "How are you... you..."     "I'm fine!"     "I'm fine... fine..."     "See," Robyn smiled. "Just stuff like that. Rowen is a loser!"     Rowen tried to put a hand over her mouth to stop the last comment, but he was too slow and Robyn's voice returned to chide him.     "Loser... loser..."     "Fuh-ney!" Rowen huffed and went back to his telescope.     "I was just kidding!" Robyn yelled at the sky.     "...kidding..." the stars answered back.     Robyn laughed at her own silliness as she plopped down on the blanket next to Rowen. "See?" she grinned. "The stars were just kidding. But I'm going to tell them some dirty secrets about you when you're gone. Those will be some echoes to remember."     "Yeah, right," Rowen argued. "You don't know any dirty secrets about me."     Robyn remained undaunted as she pulled her knees up to her chest. "Don't worry, I'll find some."     Rowen chuckled and shook his head. "How do you do it?"     "Huh? Do what?"     "That! You don't ever seem to run out of enthusiasm. Where does it all come from? How do you manage to attack the world day after day with that kind of fervor?"     "Attack the world," Robyn repeated with a small smile. "Interesting way of putting it. So by this question I'm assuming you would rather not have to deal with the world all the time?"     Rowen sighed. "I get tired of it." He rubbed his face. "Sometimes I do get so tired of it. All the stress, all the pressure, all the problems. Just once I wish I could have a day where everything went right for a change, you know?"     "Are you suggesting everything goes right in my life?" Robyn raised an eyebrow at him.     "No! It's just that... you seem like it does. I mean, from the way you act, I never would have guessed you had all those trials when you were a kid. How do you get past all that? How do you forget about it?"     Robyn's face turned serious. "I don't forget it Rowen, I deal with it. Your problems don't go away until you learn to handle them."     "Yeah, but tell me how you can let it go like that!"     Robyn now looked skeptical. "I think you're looking for answers where there aren't any." Rowen sighed in frustration and defeat. "Okay, fine," Robyn surrendered. "I'll tell you how I can be the way I am. It's because I know the secret to a happy life."     "No, you don't," Rowen instantly countered.     "I do, too!"     "No, you don't!"     "Fine, I don't then. You can be that way and I'm not telling you a bloody thing."     "You hang around Cye too much," Rowen berated, and then said, "fine, then tell me what you know, most all-knowing and mystic one."     Robyn squinted her eyes at him but gave up her knowledge any way. "There are two things you must do in order to live a full and happy life. The first step is to dance like nobody's watching."     Rowen sat there in silence. "That's it?" he demanded.     "For the first part, anyway. But don't take it literally, Rowen."     The bearer of Strata just continued to look clueless. It was an expression seen very seldom on his face. "Fine, if you say so. So what's the second part, then?"     "First, practice what I've told you. The second step is easier once you've mastered the first."     "Yes, honorable sensei," Rowen bowed mockingly, and then said, "You know what, Robyn, I think you're just full of it sometimes."     "Hey, you're the one who asked," Robyn raised her hands defensively. Rowen decided to drop it then and turned back to his telescope. Robyn watched his hunched form in the darkness. "Rowen, why me?" Robyn suddenly blurted.     "What's that?" he asked, keeping his back to her.     "Why do you want to take me out here? With your surgery coming up and all, shouldn't you be with your family? Or even Sage? I mean, he is your best friend. So why me?" Rowen continued to fiddle with his telescope as if he hadn't heard. "Rowen, look at me," Robyn admonished gently. "I want a straight answer and I'm not going to stop bugging you until you give me one."     The blue haired youth paused for a moment. Finally he turned around and crawled next to her on the blanket. He laid down on his side, propping himself up on one elbow.     "I dunno," Rowen admitted. "I was talking with Kento earlier and he said you weren't taking the news very well." He shrugged. "I guess I just felt kinda bad for it."     "Oh," Robyn said, looking down. Now it was her turn to feel awkward.     "You know," Rowen said with a little laugh, "my dad has an odd sense of humor. He said this is God's way of giving the other kids a chance to catch up with me - just to make it fair."     Robyn chuckled and then gasped as she looked at the sky. "Rowen, look! A shooting star!"     "Oh yeah!" Rowen exclaimed as if just remembering something important. "That's why we came out here. There's a meteor shower tonight. Let's see if we can catch some." He crawled for his telescope and started adjusting it for his liking. "Did you ever see a shooting star in a telescope, Robyn? It looks pretty neat."     "Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen anything in a telescope before," Robyn replied.     "You poor deprived child," Rowen joked. "Come here and take a look at this."     Robyn scooted over beside him and looking into the apparatus. "I don't see anything," she said.     "Be patient," Rowen replied. "You should see one within a few minutes. Just keep watching."     "So do you do this often?" Robyn said, trying to start up a conversation.     "Yup, ever since I was a little kid. I've always been fascinated with it as far back as I can remember. I used to have my dad take me out on nights like this and I would make him tell me everything he knew about the sky. Of course, I already knew a lot about it myself, but it was just nice to have someone else with me to talk about it."     "And you still keep it up now, huh?"     "Kind of, though usually if I want to go stargazing I have to go by myself. My mom's never home and I don't have any brothers and sisters. I've tried taking Sage a few times, but he's not much of a night person."     "So you planning to be an astronaut or something then?" Robyn continued to ask.     "No, not really," Rowen shook his head. "I still haven't decided what field I want to go in yet, but I don't think that will be it."     "Why not? If you love space so much it's a shame you won't ever be able to go out and experience it."     "I already have," Rowen said without thinking.     "What?"     "Uh... nothing!" Rowen fumbled. "Sorry, I was spacing out and talking to myself."     "Spacing out, huh?" Robyn chuckled. "Interesting choice of - HEY! I see one!" She finally pulled away from the telescope. "That was pretty cool-looking. Thanks for showing this to me. This really is fun, Rowen."     "No problem," the blue haired youth replied. "I'm just glad I actually get to share it with someone this time. When I'm out here by myself the sky seems so big and it just makes you feel kind of lonely." He took a deep breath of the clear night air. A cloud of steam formed as he let it out and watched the sky with certain admiration. "But it's worth it to see splendor such as this."     Robyn looked at him and shook her head. "Man, what is it with you guys? I swear, it's like each one of you have something you obsess over. It's like, I dunno, like you all have your own little element that's just you, you know?"     "Like how?" Rowen asked in amusement.     "Well, like you love the sky and the stars. Cye's obsessed with the water and his little fish friends, and Ryo likes to play with fire."     Rowen sat up straighter. He was impressed with how accurate her observations were. "And what about Kento and Sage?"     "Kento's in love with food and Sage... well, Sage just likes to be antisocial and ornery."     Rowen laughed. "Yup, that's us in a nutshell."     Robyn looked at him in wonderment. "You are all so different, how did you guys manage to stay together?"     "I wonder that many times myself," Rowen admitted. He shivered when he finally noticed the chill of the night hour was getting to him. He shook himself and rubbed his arms in attempt to warm his body. Robyn easily noticed this. Rowen was only wearing a thin jacket while Robyn's heavy winter coat was so thick she hardly noticed the cold. The young girl reached for the heavy blanket that had been discarded earlier. She stood up and drooped it over Rowen's shoulders with a friendly smile.     "Thanks," Rowen smiled back as he pulled the blanket around him. He looked back up at the still-standing Robyn as an idea hit him. He took one corner of the blanket and held it out and an open invitation to her. "Care to join me?" he asked.     Robyn eyed him skeptically. "I don't know. I've been tricked by you once today already."     "Oh, come on," Rowen pleaded. "I'm getting cold. Please?" He looked up at her with the saddest puppy dog eyes he could muster.     Try as hard as she might to resist the effects of Rowen's pleading look, Robyn eventually caved. "Oh, all right," she said as she took the side of the blanket and sat down next to him.     The two sidled up close in the blanket as the air grew colder. But they remained, watching the sky with its stars shining like diamonds against the black velvet depths of space. Robyn listened carefully as Rowen unraveled all the mysteries of the sky before her. They stayed there all through the night, watching with respectful silence as the meteors continued to fall from existence and space relayed to the two star gazers its majestic excellence. 

***** 

    Robyn felt someone gently nudging her awake when, in truth, she couldn't even remember when she had fallen asleep. She felt warm and comfortable and lazy and didn't respond much to the small proddings into consciousness. Instead she curled up closer into her warm little world and searched again for that blissful place brought only by sleep.     "Robyn, wake up," a familiar voice echoed in her thoughts. But it was hazy and the source was unclear.     "Mmm... few more minutes..." Robyn muttered sleepily as she snuggled closer to the warm object that she held.     "Open your eyes and look at this," the voice enticed.     Robyn obeyed and her eyes fluttered open to behold a breathtaking scene as the sun rose above the city horizon and lit the sky on fire.     "Wow... beautiful..." Robyn breathed as she tightened her arms around her source of warmth. It was then realization caused her to blink and she looked up to see what she was holding. Blue hair fell softly over crystalline blue eyes as they returned her gaze.     "WAH!" Robyn cried as she jumped away from Rowen and stumbled onto her back.     Rowen looked at her and just laughed.     "You little schemer!" Robyn yelled as she tossed a fist full of grass at him. "Why I oughta..."     "Hey, I didn't do a thing," Rowen insisted. "You're the one who fell asleep, so don't blame me."     "You could have woke me up," Robyn argued, still looking ready to deck him.     "I did! And just in time so you can see the sunrise. So where's the gratitude, huh?"     "I'll show you gratitude," Robyn muttered as she gave him a small shove. Her actions had turned less threatening and more playful by now.     "Hey, easy," Rowen grinned. "I've got to go off for surgery in a few hours, so you have to be nice to me. It's the rules."     "Yeah, well, next time you won't be so lucky," Robyn promised. She paused to look at the bright colors painted grandly across the sky. "Thanks for waking me up to see this," she finally said.     "No problem." Rowen got up and began to gather his things and put his telescope away. "Well, we should probably get you back home now before Cye wakes up and hunts me down."     Robyn chuckled as she started shaking the grass off the blankets and folding them. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did. I saw the expression on his face last night. You two sure don't get along very well sometimes."     "Eh, we get along well enough. We're still friends, aren't we?"     "I guess." Robyn followed Rowen as he headed for the car and opened the trunk. "Did you stay up all night long, Rowen?"     "Yup," he replied as he stashed away all the stuff he had brought.     "Aren't you tired?"     "Not much. It doesn't matter, because I'll be getting more than enough sleep in a little while anyway."     The two got into the car and Rowen started the engine. The car hummed to life as it turned around on the bumpy dirt road and headed back for the city.     "So when will you be able to come back to school?" Robyn asked.     "After brain surgery?" Rowen replied. "The doctors were talking about a recovery time of a month or more. I guess it all depends on how the surgery goes and how I'm feeling afterwards."     "A whole month?" Robyn exclaimed. "Whoa, you're going to have a lot of homework from that break!"     "Tell me about it. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up my schoolwork at home while I'm recovering."     "How am I going to get through math for a whole month without you?" Robyn wondered.     "Thanks for the sympathy," Rowen smirked. "But if you really need some help you're welcome to come over and hopefully I'll be able to give you a hand."     Robyn grinned. "Thanks. And maybe I'll be able to help you in case those surgeons accidentally remove the smart part from your brain and you end up normal like the rest of us."     "Gee, thanks a lot."     The car pulled up in front of the Mouri residence and both of them moved to get out. "You don't have to walk me up, Rowen," Robyn said. "The house is just right there."     "No, it's fine," Rowen insisted. "I've still got some time to kill."     They started up the sidewalk together. Robyn reached for the door but the knob turned and it opened before she could even touch it. "Well, helllooo!" came a boisterous voice from a person neither one expected to be at this house.     "Kento, what are you doing here?" Robyn demanded.     "Waiting for you to come back," he replied more to Rowen as if trying to make a point. "I got a call this morning when you guys didn't come home last night. We were worried."     "I still don't appreciate you jumping us out the door like that," Robyn informed him.     "Well, it was either that or go with Cye's plan and spy on you guys through the curtains."     Cye, from where he had been crouched by the window, growled as his face turned red.     "Oh, for crying out loud," Robyn said as she pushed past Kento and into the house. "How paranoid can you possibly get?"     "So, how was your date anyway?" Kento asked as he eyed Rowen in the fashion of an over rotective parent.     "Date?" Robyn wondered as she took off her coat and tossed it on a nearby chair. "What date? That's not what I would have called it. No dinner, no movie. Not even a smooch goodnight."     "Well, in your case it would have been a smooch good morning," Kento countered.     "I expected you home last night," Cye confronted Robyn with his arms folded over his chest.     "Well, sorry, Cye, if I didn't come back in time for your curfew."     "Rowen still should have taken you home last night," Cye said as he eyed the bearer of Strata accusingly. "That was very irresponsible of him."     Rowen shrugged. "Sorry, Cye, I lost track of time when I..." He put a hand on Robyn's shoulder. "...got distracted."     Everyone looked surprised at Rowen's statement. Robyn did not appreciate what he was implying one bit. Even if it was merely to make Cye mad.     "What?" Cye squeaked. "Rowen, you... you didn't! I know what's going on! You're just saying that to get me angry."     Rowen just gave him that smug smile of his. "Believe what you want to." With that, he tipped Robyn back and kissed her full on the mouth.     "HEY!" Kento exclaimed as a reflex.     Robyn's eyes popped open wide from shock and remained that way as Rowen pulled her back up to her feet. Cye was fuming in his place.     "Yes?" Rowen asked.     "GET OUT OF MY BLOODY HOUSE!" Cye screeched. "You... youyouyou HOMEWRECKER!"     Rowen, for the most part, ignored the outburst. The expression on his face resembled that of the cat which caught the canary as he kissed Robyn's hand. "We'll finish this later," he told her in a sultry voice.     "YAAH!" Cye suddenly snapped and lunged at Rowen. The lanky young man dodged his assault and ran for the door.     "Bye, guys!" Rowen called merrily as he flung open the door and dashed down the sidewalk.     Cye was hot on his heels as Rowen made a few happy war whoops before rushing into his car and driving away with the shrill sound of squealing tires in his wake. Cye remained by the road side, shaking his fist at the retreating form and yelling out a few choice words.     Inside the house, Robyn blinked as she regained her senses. She put her hands on her hips as she watched Rowen drive off out the window. Just because he was going in for surgery he thought he could get away with anything. Robyn made a mental note to make it clear to the blue-haired young man she would not tolerate being his tool of revenge.     "Man, I didn't think it was humanly possible to get in a car that fast," Kento marveled. "Though I suppose it is doable when a hysteric Brit is after your life."     Robyn chuckled in agreement. "So," she said as she turned to Kento. "What's for breakfast?"     Kento grinned at her. "I was just about to ask the same thing." 

***** 

    It was nighttime, but Tokyo's city lights were so bright Sage hardly needed his headlights as he drove down the vaguely familiar streets. He continued to check the highway signs as he passed them to make sure he was on the right road. This city was far bigger than Toyama and Sage wanted to make sure he didn't get lost. Especially when he had an appointment like this, Sage was not going to allow himself to be late.     At last Sage found the object of his destination. A wide, stout building of about seven stories. A large sign reading "Tokyo Central Hospital" was lit up in front of the parking lot. Sage pulled in and parked in an open space. He made his way alone across the dark stretch of empty cars and into the building. Approaching the main desk immediately upon arrival, Sage asked for the directions of where he could find the reason he was visiting this city.     The blonde young man turned and took the elevator up to the fourth floor where he was told to go. An older looking woman with a kind face was sitting behind the desk there as he came up to it. "     Excuse me," he said as he approached. "I'm here to see Rowen Hashiba. I heard he got out of surgery a few hours ago. Is he awake yet?"     The hospital worker stopped typing and looked up at the handsome young man. She fingered through a stack of papers next to her as she looked for the patient's information. "Ah yes, Rowen Hashiba. His operation went beautifully and he's been awake for a little while now."     "Would it be all right if I visited him for a moment?" Sage inquired.     The woman smiled kindly at him. "His parents are with him right now. But if you'd like to wait, we'll see if we can give you a little time afterwards, okay?"     "Thank you." Sage bowed politely and took a seat nearby to wait.     The clock ticked on through the night as Sage sat patiently. A few of the younger nurses stopped to admire the handsome young man waiting there. But Sage paid no mind to anyone. Only when a familiar pair came up the hall towards him did Sage stand and take notice.     "Sage," Rowen's mother greeted as she hugged him. "It's nice to see you here."     Sage nodded politely. "How's Rowen?"     "As well as can be expected after what he's been through," Rowen's father replied.     "Go on and see him," Rowen's mother said as she gave Sage a friendly push. "I think he would appreciate your visit." She gave Sage a flirtatious wink before she left.     Sage started down the hall and went into the room number he had been given earlier. He closed the door behind him and gazed across the room to the figure laying among the starched white sheets in a bed near the window. Rowen looked up at him as he entered. His face looked pale and tired but he managed a smile.     "Hey," Rowen greeted weakly. His voice was hardly a whisper. His eyes looked a bit glazed over as a result of the sedative that still lingered in his system. A white bandage was wrapped around his head, keeping his hair entirely out of his face for probably the first time in his life.     "Hey," Sage responded as he stood at the foot of the bed. "How do you feel?"     "Lousy, and yet... good," Rowen responded. "Did you see my parents?" he asked as he motioned for Sage to come sit in the chair stationed at his bed side. It had been placed there earlier for his mother to sit in.     "Yeah, I saw them."     Rowen was still smiling despite the dull throbbing in his head. "We were all together, in the same room, talking about the same things. No one had anywhere to go or anything to do. We just talked. It felt like we were a family again."     Sage smiled sadly. Too bad it took such circumstances to finally get Rowen's parents to make time for him.     "Will you open the curtains, Sage?" Rowen requested softly. "I want to see the sky."     Sage got up and did what was asked. Rowen gazed out the window and his look of hope turned to disappointment.     "I hate this city," he croaked as he looked away. "The lights are too bright to see the stars. It's like the city is saying we don't need them."     Sage frowned. But then his eyes brightened as he remembered something and he dug his hand into his jacket pocket.     "Here," he said as he tossed a small, light package to his friend. It landed softly in Rowen's lap. "Robyn had us all pitch our money together and buy you these."     Rowen weakly inspected his present. "Glow-in-the-dark star stickers?" he asked as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.     "Like them?" Sage grinned as he resumed his seat in the chair beside the bed. "We're going to throw a party and stick them all over your ceiling when you get home."     Rowen chuckled though it obviously pained him to do so. "All in the proper alignments and constellations, I hope."     "Whatever you want," Sage assured him.     "Sounds great," Rowen said. He placed his present on the stand beside him before sinking tiredly into the bed. He heaved a sigh and stared at the ceiling.     "You know, it sounds funny, but despite this throbbing in my head, I feel good. It's such a relief to finally get this over with. To not have to worry what's wrong anymore and to know that it's all taken care of now. And you know what? My dad's going to stick around for a whole week when we get back home. Nothing to do, nowhere to go, no stupid project to take up all his time. Just him and me, talking again. I can't remember the last time I had a real conversation with him. In fact, I don't think I've ever had a real conversation with him. I've been waiting for this for a long time. Can you believe it, Sage?"     No reply.     "Sage?"     Rowen turned his head as much as his newly operated neck would allow. There he could see Sage curled up in the chair, fast asleep. Rowen smiled at his slumbering friend.     _Now all we have to do is figure out what is bothering you._     But he already knew no doctor of any kind could tell them what was wrong with his friend. Only Sage knew for sure what it was that caused his lack of sleep for the longest time now. And Rowen let him sleep.     The blue haired young man turned his gaze out the window at the colorfully lit city. Already he missed the breathtaking sight that was spread out before him on the hill overlooking his home. But he knew the stars were still there. And they would continue shining valiantly from their lonely corners of space until he could return to see them again. 


	9. Chapter Nine: The Long Winter Months

"Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall"   
By Ghost of the Dawn 

Chapter Nine - The Long Winter Months 

    Robyn's body felt heavy as she got up that morning. Slight chills raced up her body every time she moved and at breakfast she wasn't that hungry. Her head was swimming when she got to school and by lunchtime, she wasn't faring much better.     "So how's Rowen doing?" Ryo asked as he sat down at the lunch table. The group was eating inside the school cafeteria now as it was getting too cold to eat outside.     "He's in pain, but he's doing okay," Sage replied.     Robyn stared blankly at her lunch bag as the group discussed their friend's current condition. Rowen had just returned home from the hospital in Tokyo the other night. But Robyn wasn't interested in hearing anything. She knew she should be, but she wasn't. All she could think about was how unappetizing her lunch looked. She shuddered every time her clothes touched her skin and it almost hurt to come in contact with another person. She was sick - but she didn't say anything about it.     Her sixth hour creative writing class came and Robyn still wasn't faring much better. If anything, she was feeling worse. Mrs. Matsuo had left her students to do a short freelance writing assignment while she inputted grades at her computer. Robyn was supposed to be writing but she couldn't concentrate. Her mind was all muddled and she felt dizzy. She had a thick sweater on but she was freezing and her head began to hurt as she could feel pressure build up behind her skull.     Robyn looked up with unfocused eyes as a hand placed itself on her forehead. The skin of the person touching her was pale and cool. Since Robyn was already cold she didn't welcome the chilly hand and pulled away. She was only slightly aware of Sage's concerned eyes looking into her own foggy green ones before he moved away. Sage got up from his desk and went to talk with the teacher. Robyn went back to staring listlessly at her paper, wishing she could just curl up in bed and fall asleep.     The hand on her arm managed to catch her attention as Sage came back a minute later and gently helped her to her feet. Robyn didn't see all the eyes looking at her as Sage wordlessly guided her out of the room. And frankly, she didn't care. All she knew now was that she was cold and sick and miserable.     Sage's light grip on her arm never left as he led her down the hall. Robyn could feel the coolness of his skin seeping through her sleeve and into her arm. But she was too weak to move away. They reached her locker first where Robyn fumbled through her bag and then Sage pulled out her coat and put it over her. That made her feel a bit better. At least she was warmer and she wouldn't have to feel Sage's cold hands anymore.     The next stop was the front office and Sage sat her in a chair to wait. "I'm going to call Cye's mother and have her come get you," Sage told her quietly.     "She's... not home," Robyn mumbled as she tiredly brushed some hair out of her eyes.     Sage pursed his lips when his plan was shot down. He got up and went to talk to the secretary anyway. His second idea was to get Cye himself out of class and have him take Robyn home. But that, too didn't work as Cye was taking a test at the moment and wasn't allowed out of class until it was completed. So Sage had to settle for the next best thing.     Robyn was brought out of her trance as a large, strong hand closed over her smaller one. This one was warm and rough, not cold and smooth like Sage's were. Robyn gazed up into round, deep blue eyes.     "Hey, how are you feeling?" Kento asked gently.     "Honestly?" Robyn rasped. "Like pure, unadulterated crap."     "I'll have to look up that word later. But first, we're going to take you home." He gently pulled her to her feet. "Come on, Sage."     "Me?" Sage objected. That sure wasn't part of his plan. "But I have to - I mean I - I shouldn't..."     "Hey, you got her this far," Kento argued. "The least you could do is be nice enough to help take her the rest of the way. So let's go."     Sage sighed and reluctantly followed. Kento kept an arm around Robyn as they headed outside to the parking lot.     "Honestly, Sage," Kento said. "You're the only guy I know who's crazy enough to pass up a chance to get out of school." 

***** 

    Roughly ten minutes later Kento's jeep, with its three passengers, pulled up in front of the Mouri residence. Kento couldn't believe it was possible, but Robyn looked even paler than she did before as he led her into the house. Sage followed behind with his hands in his pockets, feeling useless and out of place.     Once in the house, Kento set Robyn on the couch and then went to go retrieve a blanket from the closet. Sage took a seat quietly in a chair off to the side. Kento returned and sat next to Robyn, pulling off her coat and replacing it with the blanket. He then reached up and took his turn in feeling her forehead.     "Oh, man, you are sick," Kento commented. "You're burning up."     "I'm freezing," Robyn whined pitifully.     "Don't worry, we'll stay here until Cye gets home, all right?" Kento smiled kindly as he pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Robyn nodded and leaned her forehead tiredly against his shoulder.     Kento placed a kindly arm around her and Robyn almost subconsciously snuggled closer to the warm body. It was a bit awkward at first. Kento had never faced this type of dilemma before, and Robyn seemed unaware of what she was doing. But eventually both got settled with Robyn snuggled up against Kento's side while he had an arm draped loosely around her. Robyn let out a tired sigh and then fell asleep.     It was a good hour later before Cye came home. He burst through the door, looking a little out of breath. He had no doubt received the note Kento left for him at the school office and had run all the way from the subway station.     "Hey, buddy," Kento said casually from the couch.     Cye didn't even return the greeting as he tossed his bag aside. "How's Robyn?" Cye asked as he knelt in front of her. He reached out his hand to feel her burning forehead. Robyn stirred slightly from the touch and cuddled closer to Kento but didn't wake up.     "What do you think she's got?" Kento asked.     "Just the flu, I'm hoping," Cye replied. "It would make sense. Now's the season for it. I'll have my mom look at her when she gets home tonight." Cye reached out and picked up Robyn ever so slowly as not to disturb her. He turned and carried her upstairs to her room where he put her to bed and pulled the covers over her small, shivering form. He tarried for a moment to remove a few strands of hair from her face. Then he turned and headed back down to where his friends were.     "Thanks for taking Robyn home for me," Cye said when he returned, "I wish I could have done it myself, but I had to finish that stupid test."     "Don't worry about it," Kento waved it off. "Either way you'd probably make me take you guys home just the same, right?"     "Probably," Cye admitted with a smile. "But I can take it from here now if there's somewhere you guys need to be."     "Yeah, I'd better head to work," Kento nodded. "Come on, Sage, I'll drop you off on the way."     Kento had almost forgotten that his blonde friend was even there. Sage was now resting in a somewhat uncomfortable-looking position in the chair and he was fast asleep. Cye and Kento looked at each other. It was apparent to all the Ronins that Sage wasn't getting much sleep. But any of them had yet to know the cause. Even Rowen, whom Sage told everything, hadn't a clue as to what was bothering the Warrior of Light so much to cause him to lose sleep.     Kento almost regretted waking Sage up when he shook his shoulder. "Sage," Kento called. "You need to wake up now. Time for us to go."     Sage mumbled something under his breath as he was brought out of his much needed slumber. He blinked and then suddenly stiffened when he realized where he was. Sage instantly jumped to his feet and did his best to hide his fatigue.     "Ready to go?" Kento asked.     "Yeah, I should be home," Sage replied as he tried to hide a yawn.     "Catch you later, Cye," Kento called as the two headed out the door.     "Take care."     "You too," Cye called as he waved them out. He shut the door behind him and then looked to the staircase with a sigh. Worry pricked at the back of his mind as he remembered how pale and sickly Robyn looked. _I hope it's nothing serious._

***** 

    It was little over a week before Rowen's mother - currently taking a personal break from her job - allowed for Rowen to have any visitors. And it was all for good reason. Even when the four other Ronins were finally allowed to visit, Rowen still wasn't feeling all that well. Still confined to his bed, Rowen was constantly on pain medication and at times didn't seem to be completely there when one of his friends tried to talk to him. But he had gone through brain surgery after all, so it was expected.     "What do you think of this?" Ryo asked as he pointed to the ceiling. The team was posting Rowen's new glow-in-the-dark star stickers in his room like Sage had promised they would.     Rowen wasn't able to move his head much. He squinted his eyes as he looked up at Ryo's new work of art.     "S'good, Ryo," Rowen muttered, his speech slurred from the drugs.     Ryo beamed and looked proud of his accomplishment. Rowen had pointed out a few astrology books they could use to make patterns with the stars they had. But after a few minutes of failing to mimic the complicated constellations, Ryo had changed his design and made a smiley face on his ceiling instead.     The other Ronins were doing similar things as well. Cye, of course, was copying the Pisces constellation while Kento was exercising some creativity of his own and was doing Mickey Mouse. Sage was the only one without star stickers in his hand as he sat in a chair at Rowen's bedside and just watched.     "So, Rowen," Cye said. "How long do you think it's going to be until you can keep up with us again?"     There was a long stretch of patient silence. The guys had already learned you had to wait a while when asking Rowen a uestion in his current state.     "Not sure," Rowen admitted. "Prolly long time." The normal, unmedicated Rowen would have had the time calculated to the second. But for the moment, his rough estimate would have to do. There was a longer span of silence as Rowen's foggy mind finally realized something.     "Where's Robyn?" he asked.     Everyone paused in what they were doing and looked to the only person who could give them the answer. Robyn hadn't been to school all week. There was only one among them who knew her current condition.     Cye ignored all their gazes and looked at Rowen. "She's home in bed. She's been really sick lately."     "What's she got?" Rowen asked again.     "Well, we thought it was just the flu at first," Cye explained. "Then she started developing these headaches and a bad cough. The doctors say she's got bronchitis and her sinuses are all messed up. And if we're not careful, she could even come down with pneumonia."     "No thanks to you and your little late-night escapades," Kento interjected. "You're the reason she's sick, you know."     "Hey, lay off him, Kento," Sage said, coming to Rowen's defense. "He didn't know what would happen. It's not his fault."     "He's right, Kento," Cye admitted. "I'm sure Robyn's not blaming him either." But despite his words, Rowen still looked like he felt bad for it.     "Hey, Rowen, don't worry about it," Ryo put a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Robyn will get better soon enough. You'll see."     Rowen nodded but Cye didn't look too sure. 

***** 

    Days later, the winter season made itself known when Toyama woke up one morning to find itself blanketed in a new white layer of snow. And lucky for the snow-loving Ronin boys, it was also a Saturday, so they were free to romp and roam as they pleased. Snow was quite rare in Toyama. Sometimes it didn't even snow the entire year. So Grandma Sanada wasn't at all surprised to see three young men standing outside her door in their winter gear bright and early that morning.     "Can Ryo come out and play?" Kento asked in a child-like voice. Cye and Sage just beamed and looked eager to go.     "Well, I suppose he can," Grandma Sanada said. "But he'll have to get dressed fir-"     "Bye, Grandma," Ryo sang as he whisked past in his coat and gloves. He paused only a moment to give her a quick peck on the cheek before he jumped out the door and raced merrily down the sidewalk with the other three boys at his heels. Grandma Sanada shook her head as she watched them go. Her hand instantly went to the top of White Blaze's head as he gently nudged it against her.     "They will grow up someday, right?" she asked the tiger. White Blaze looked up at her and made a small rumble in his throat. "I suppose you're right. Let them be young while they still can. There will be plenty of time for maturity later. Come on."     Both turned and went back into the house to enjoy the warm fire. 

***** 

    The four boys continued down the sidewalk until they reached the nearest park in which they could have plenty of room to play snow games. When they got there it was apparent that they weren't the only ones intent on enjoying the day. There were kids all over. Most of them seemed to be engaged in a large snowball fight in which the four teens joined right in. It didn't seem to bother them one bit that they were the oldest ones there.     Mei Ryu, Kento's younger brother, was there with a bunch of his little friends as well. The second the older boys were spotted by them they were showered with a barrage of snowballs - not to mention Mei Ryu led the charge in trying to whitewash Ryo.     And thus an all out war exploded in the snow covered park. Basically, it was the four older boys against all the little kids who wanted to join in the game. But then Cye accidentally hit Kento with a snowball so the teams broke off differently in which it was Kento and Sage verses Ryo and Cye. The younger children divided themselves about however they wished and the war of the snowballs continued.     Sage paused to mold a handful of snow to his liking. No one was targeting him at the time, so he took a moment to realize how weird it was to not have Rowen around. It felt like something was missing. The battle lacked its usual excitement. Especially since Rowen wasn't there to make snide comments or give Sage a snowball in the face when he wasn't looking. Rowen was always the best sniper of the bunch. He was the one who usually kept the others on their toes during snowball fights.     "Man, Rowen's sure missing out," Kento said, reflecting Sage's thoughts as he came up beside him. A snowball was in each hand and he tossed them effortlessly at two of his younger targets, easily pegging them both. "We should go up and throw some snowballs at his bedroom window later on so he won't feel left out."     Sage nodded in agreement. He couldn't wait for Rowen to be back out with the rest of them. To get rid of the large empty feeling that formed whenever what remained of their group got together. And still, if Rowen had been here, Sage had to admit even that would not be enough to completely fill the gap. They needed one other. Robyn, too needed to come back if they were ever to feel whole again. Sage wasn't sure when it was that this girl had become so a part of them - but it had happened. Now he just hoped that the emptiness wouldn't be there for much longer. 

***** 

    The days dragged on, turning into weeks and still the small group remained two members short. Rowen was up and moving around now, but nowhere near well enough to come back to school. Robyn had yet to show up to school either. Cye never talked about how she was doing much, but from the way he acted one could tell it wasn't too good. In fact, the bearer of Torrent wasn't looking too good himself.     As of lately, Cye always looked tired and bags were forming under his eyes. His friends began to notice how edgy he was getting and that his patience was thinning terribly. In class he had trouble concentrating and he got discouraged easily. But none of his friends ever asked; they could easily guess what was bothering him. But then again, if it wasn't mentioned and they didn't dare ask, the guys had to come up with other ways to find out what was going on at the Mouri household. Such as what Ryo did that day at lunch.     "Hey you guys, there's a great movie coming out next weekend," Ryo announced to his three friends. "We should all go." The other boys voiced their agreement to the idea.     "Hey, Cye," Ryo then asked. "Do you think Robyn will be well enough to go by then?"     Kento and Sage looked to Cye curiously for the answer. None of them ever expected the kind of reply they got. Cye instantly sobered at the question. He paused as if searching for some kind of answer. But nothing ever came out. Instead, Cye slammed his fist on the table in frustration and then stormed away.     The three remaining Ronins looked at each other wondering what to do. Kento was the one who took the initiative to go after his best friend.     "I got this," he announced as he stood and started out in the direction Cye had fled. He caught up with the distraught young Englishman around the corner of the school where Cye was leaning against the wall with his back to him. Kento slowly approached. Cye's body stiffened as he heard the footsteps behind him, but he didn't move.     "Is there something you want to talk about?" Kento asked casually as he sidled up next to Cye.     The rusty haired youth looked to the ground and wrapped his arms around himself. His face looked sad and worried. Kento stayed where he was, patiently waiting for an answer.     "Robyn's not getting better," Cye said softly. He fought to keep his voice placid but the emotion was beginning to show. "The doctor's say her immune system is already exhausted and it can't do much more to fight off the disease."     Kento put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Well, we both know Robyn wasn't the healthiest person when she came here in the first place, Cye. Isn't she on medication or anything?"     An almost hateful look crossed Cye's face. "Yeah, the doctors have given us all types of stuff, but none of it's helping." He looked into Kento's face with eyes full of fear. "What if she doesn't get better, Kento? I can't stand seeing her hurting like that everyday. I can't stand not being able to help her. What if she dies? I don't want to lose her again!"     Kento grabbed his shoulders forcefully. "Cye, buddy, calm down. I know this is hard on you, but you can't let yourself get carried away like this. With all this worrying you do you're going to get sick too and you're not going to be able to do anything for Robyn if that happens. Just hang in there, okay? Robyn's a tough little cookie, she'll get through this."     Cye closed his eyes and pushed some hair away from his forehead. "That doesn't make it any easier," he said softly.     "Well, who said you had to face this by yourself?" Kento wanted to know. "We're your friends, remember? We're a team. And we'll be here for you whenever you need it. And you know, as your best friend, I'll always be here if you need someone to talk to. Right?"     Cye looked into his friend's strong, hopeful face and he suddenly felt some strength as well. "Right," he smiled weakly. "We'll get through this." "You bet," Kento agreed as he steered them both back to the lunch table. "Now let's go back and finish our lunches. Were you going to eat that Twinkie you brought?"     "No, Kento, you can have it."     "Yes!"     "And Kento?"     "Yeah?"     "Thanks."     Kento grinned. "What are friends for?" 

***** 

    Cye shivered in his sleep and he clutched his blankets tighter around him. He moaned as his worry-filled dreams plagued him and prevented him from a restful night's sleep. His eyes popped open when he realized how uncomfortable he really was. He sat up and pulled his blanket around him when he noticed just how cold his room had become. It was freezing!     A glance at the clock told him it was a little after one. Cye instantly felt fatigued again as his body ached for more sleep. But then again, his body was also begging for some warmth as well. Cye grumbled as he got out of bed. Pressing his bare feet to the freezing floor was a rude wake-up call for him. The heater must have blown out during the night - that lousy piece of junk. Cye hugged himself to keep warm as he trudged into the hall to find some more blankets for himself. He reached the closet in the pitch dark of the night and felt around until he found the thickest, warmest blanket they had. That should do it.     As he started back for his own room with the blanket around his shoulders he paused when he heard sounds in the darkness. Faint coughing came from the end of the hall where the door was left open half way. Cye shuffled up to it and peeked inside. Robyn was asleep in her bed, a raspy sound escaping her lips with each breath. She coughed weakly in her sleep. Her throat sounded sore and abused from all her daytime coughing fits. Robyn gave a weak moan as she shivered and rolled over in bed, her back now facing the doorway.     Cye instantly felt like a selfish scumbag. He had been so stuck on how cold he was he didn't even think as to how Robyn was feeling. Here she was sick and miserable and Cye wouldn't have even noticed if she hadn't have coughed while he was out in the hall. Cye padded slowly into the room and looked down at the sleeping form. He reached for her arm and found it was indeed cold to the touch.     The brown haired youth took a deep breath as he pulled back the covers and climbed in the bed next to her. He took the blanket he was holding with him and wrapped it around the both of them before pulling the bed covers back into place. Her body felt cold against him as he pulled her close, pressing her back against his chest.     Cye rested his chin on the top of her head as he waited for his body heat to help warm her up. In the meantime, Robyn's body continued to be wracked with coughing fits and Cye held her tight during each one. As her body warmed up, she started coughing less and less until she was sleeping peacefully again. Cye sighed as he remained holding her through the night. He wasn't feeling too tired now. His mind wandered back into old memories as he recalled the last time he had held Robyn and how even then he had felt just as helpless.     The images were vague for it had been a long time. Cye remembered the voice. HIS voice; yelling and screaming with fists pounding on the door outside. Cye remembered how scared he had been. He always thought he was safe inside his own house, but then suddenly he wasn't so sure. Robyn, too had thought of the Mouri house as a sanctuary. That's where she had fled during one of her father's more violent drunken rages. But this time, he had followed.     Robyn's father was outside the front door, yelling and threatening all who were in the house. Cye's mother was busily calling the police while Cye and Robyn remained huddled in fear on the kitchen floor. The young girl's face was battered and bruised from an earlier beating. She had gotten some blood from a cut in her cheek on Cye's sweater, but he didn't care.     That was the last time he had been able to see Robyn. Shortly after the police arrived, a woman from social services came and took her away where some family members in America were given custody for her. Cye never thought he would see her again after that.     Those were trying times for the both of them. Cye had wanted to grow up so fast when he was little. It was always his nature to want to protect. He had once asked his mother why these things happened the way they did. She would always reply that he would understand in time. Cye couldn't wait until he was big. Then he could finally understand it all and he would be able to protect the people he cared about.     Tears stung his eyes as Cye looked down at the weak little form in his arms. He was big now; he understood. But he still could not protect her - not from this. He was still as helpless as he was on that night all those many years ago. His courage, his strength, even his armor could do nothing to save Robyn now. It was all up to her. And just like that night, all Cye could do now was pray and hope for a miracle. 

***** 

    Cye didn't go to school that morning. His mother was going to be gone all day so he decided he would stay home to watch Robyn and fix the heater. He had been leaning over the stubborn contraption for hours with screwdriver in hand. The ornery thing simply refused to work. Cye stood up and took a moment to pop his back and stretch his tired muscles. He was about to give it another go when the doorbell rang.     Throwing the heater one last dirty look, Cye went to answer it. He opened the door to find a familiar, yet unexpected figure standing on his porch.     "Sage?" Cye wondered. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"     "Aren't you?" Sage countered as he stepped into the house without further invitation.     Cye closed the door and gave his friend a perplexed look. "Is there anything I can do for you, Sage, or are you just here for the tour?"     Sage ignored the accusing sarcasm. "Where's Robyn?"     Cye blinked in surprise at the bluntness. "Uh, upstairs in her room. Why do you-"     Sage didn't wait for him to finish the question before he started for the stairs. Cye curiously followed after. He glanced at the clock as he went by. It would be lunchtime at the school right now. So that was why Sage was in a hurry. Whatever it was he came here to do he was going to make it fast and then get back to school before the lunch hour was over.     Sage went up the stairs and down the hall to the last door. It was shut and he opened it without hesitation. It was dark inside the room with the curtains drawn. The atmosphere was damp as a humidifier chugged away in the corner. The figure in the bed rested quietly, her skin more pale than usual and her breathing shallow. Sage walked up to her and placed a hand on her head.     It was then that Cye made it to the doorway. He was about to go in and tell Sage what for about barging into people's rooms like that, but what he saw made him hold his peace. From Sage's hand came a dull green glow in the darkened room as he pressed it to Robyn's forehead. It was only there for a second before Sage pulled away and promptly left the room.     Cye stood there dumbfounded as Sage passed by him and down the hall. He couldn't believe it. Sage had used his healing powers to help Robyn. He NEVER used his powers for such things. Sage had made it abundantly clear that he only used them during life and death situations such as if one of his comrades were injured badly during a battle and such. He was asked one night why he was so adamant about only using his ability to heal in emergencies, when using it on a normal basis would be a lot more convenient to himself and everyone.     Sage had quite an interesting answer for them. He had told them in his usual calm voice how he hated to use his armor's healing powers. Not because he disliked helping people, but because of something more profound. Sage admitted openly that he felt exposed when using his powers on someone else. In this he was giving up a part of himself - a part of his life essence to heal. And in that instant he was an open book and that invisible blockade he coveted so much would fade and there would be no more barriers to hide him.     Sage jealously guarded his private thoughts and feelings. Anything that could get past the walls he put around himself was avoided as much as possible. Even when Rowen had asked for a little help with his current condition Sage had refused. Cye didn't blame him much for taking off as soon as he was done. After taking one last look at Robyn he shut the door just in time to hear Sage leave the house and head back for school. 

***** 

    It was the next weekend when Kento's jeep pulled up in front of the Mouri household, full of hyper, happy passengers. Mrs. Mouri looked up as the four boys tromped into the house and instantly filed into the kitchen to look for snacks.     "I thought you boys were going to go into town and do some stuff," she said as she raised an eyebrow questioningly at her only son.     "We are," Kento answered for him, grinning at Cye's mom. "But we wanted to grab some snacks first and your guys' house was the closest."     "They followed me in Mom, I swear," Cye defended. "I was just dropping off my books."     "Well, it's all right," Cye's mother assured them all. "You know you boys are always welcome here anytime."     Sage thanked Mrs. Mouri politely while Ryo and Kento only mumbled because they already had chips in their mouths.     "Hey guys, what's up?" came a raspy voice from the doorway.     All eyes turned up to see Robyn standing there. Her hair was in a loose braid that looked like she had slept in it - which she probably had. She wore a large heavy sweater, baggy sweats, and socks with fuzzy slippers. Most of the articles of clothing she wore looked like she had confiscated them from Cye's closet. A bit of color was now returning to her face and she was smiling.     "Whoa, hey Robyn," Kento grinned. "Long time no see."     "Yeah," Ryo chimed in. "We've missed you."     Cye grinned. "I think these guys tricked me into letting them come here just so they could see how you were doing."     Robyn chuckled and then broke into a fit of coughs. "Well, I appreciate the thought," she rasped in a scratchy voice. She had a roundish object under one arm and carried it with her as she moved to the sink. It looked like a large plastic bowl and Robyn began filling it with water.     "So, how have you been feeling?" Sage asked quietly.     "Well, I won't be in any singing contests any time soon. But I'm not doing too bad."     "Any idea when you're going to come back to school?" It was Ryo who had asked that.     "Hopefully sometime next week if I can," Robyn replied.     "Only if you stay in bed and get plenty of rest for the next few days," Cye's mother told her.     "Right," Robyn nodded as she finished filling the object she brought. She replaced the long, oddly shaped lid and started back out of the kitchen.     "Leaving already," Kento said with disappointment.     Robyn reached the doorway and turned to look at them. "Sorry, but I'm going back to bed with my good friend Mr. Humidifier. See you guys later." The guys waved her off as she headed back to her room.     "So," Cye then announced. "If you guys have eaten enough of our food, are you ready to get going?"     The guys grinned and nodded. Cye was in a much better mood these days. The four reached for their jackets and started out the door.     "Hold on, guys," Kento suddenly announced as if he were forgetting something important. "I gotta do something first. I'll be right back." He dashed back into the house without waiting for a reply.     "Hmm," Ryo mumbled as he watched him. "Well, I guess if you gotta go then you gotta go." Sage and Cye just grinned and shrugged.     Up in her room, Robyn had just plugged in her humidifier and was ready to crawl back in bed. She turned around only to come in contact with a body that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. "Kento?" Robyn asked in surprise. She was cut off as Kento's strong arms wrapped loosely around her and Robyn couldn't help but blush from surprise.     "We're glad you're all right," he said in a soothing voice.     Robyn smiled and relaxed in his arms. "Thanks," she whispered in a hoarse voice as she momentarily leaned against him.     Kento gave her a little squeeze and then was gone as fast as he had appeared. Minutes later the loud roaring of Kento's jeep could be heard as it rumbled away. Robyn smiled to herself as she hopped into her bed. She couldn't wait to get back out there and join her friends again. 


	10. Chapter Ten: Coming of Age

Chapter Ten 

"Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall"   
By Ghost of the Dawn 

Chapter Ten - The Coming of Age 

    It was still quite early as dusk was touching the city skylines with its morning rays. Robyn got up tiredly and stumbled downstairs to the kitchen still wearing her pajamas. She was too sleepy to notice the stillness of the house. Usually everyone else was up before she was, making breakfast and preparing for the day. But she was too drowsy to notice the irregularity. Still drunk with sleep, Robyn covered a large yawn and scratched at her messy hair as she lumbered into the kitchen and flipped on the light.     "SURPRISE!!" The room was suddenly filled with people all yelling at her.     "AHHH!"     Robyn was so startled she screamed and stumbled backwards out of the room. There was the sound of several thuds before Mrs. Mouri, Cye, and the rest of the guys went to investigate. They found Robyn slouched at the bottom of the staircase rubbing her head and dealing with the coughing fit brought on by her surprise.     "Hmm... not the reaction we expected," Kento quipped. "Um... happy birthday?"     Robyn just moaned and Cye crouched down next to her. "Are you okay?     "Hit my head," Robyn choked. Cye gingerly reached out and touched the spot on her head she was favoring. "Ouch! Don't touch that!"     "Aww... we're sorry, Robyn," Rowen apologized while Kento offered her a hand. "We didn't mean to scare you. We just wanted to throw you a birthday surprise."     "Well, I was surprised," Robyn grumbled as she let Kento pull her to her feet. "You guys just better have cake, that's all I have to say."     "Ask and ye shall receive," Ryo said as he and Sage held up a beautifully decorated chocolate cake.     "Mmm... cake," Robyn reached hungrily for her prize.     "Not so fast, you," Mrs. Mouri grabbed her arm. "There will be no cake until you get upstairs and get dressed."     Robyn reached in vain for her birthday cake. "Cake..." she whimpered.     "Up!" Mrs. Mouri ordered, pointing to the stairs. Beaten, Robyn trudged reluctantly up to her room.     "Hey, Robyn," Kento called after her. "By the way, nice panties."     The rest of the guys laughed while Robyn pulled down the edges of her nightgown and sniffed indignantly before continuing to parade upstairs.     Five minutes later, the guys were all happily chowing down on chocolate cake when Robyn came down dressed and ready for the day.     "Kay! I'm ready for cake!" she called excitedly. But her face quickly dropped when she saw the empty plate the cake used to be on. "Aww... did you guys eat all my cake?"     The boys looked guiltily at their empty plates. Cye had made the cake and it was so delicious they had gotten carried away. Robyn gave a discouraged sigh and drooped her shoulders.     "Relax, Robyn," Ryo grinned. "I figured these guys would go at it, so I saved you something." He revealed a large piece of cake which had been hidden away. Robyn instantly perked up at the site of it.     "Oh, thank you! Thank you, Ryo! You're my hero from now until forever!"     She quickly snatched the plate from the raven-haired youth, but not before placing a quick peck on his lips. Ryo stood there dumbfounded for a moment, his cheeks turning red, and looking like he was still holding the plate in his hands.     Robyn moved off to enjoy her prize, unaware of the reaction. She purposefully sat herself next to Rowen, the one Ronin she hadn't seen since they went stargazing that night before Rowen's operation. Robyn had been to school for about a week now. Going to Robyn's place was the first time Rowen had been out of the house since then.     "So, how's the brain child?" Robyn asked as she placed a forkful of moist cake into her mouth.     Rowen grinned at the new nickname he knew was going to stick with him for a while. Oh well. At least she wasn't calling him 'stick boy' anymore.     "Well, it doesn't hurt on the inside anymore," Rowen replied. "Still a little stiff, though. Hey, Robyn, you want to see my scar?"     Robyn laughed and then started coughing as she wasn't quite completely well from her sickness. "Is that your new pick-up line, Rowen?"     Rowen laughed. "Heh, yeah. Hey, baby, wanna see my scar?" Rowen asked again in a more suave voice.     Robyn nodded with a big grin. "Okay, let's see it."     Rowen returned the grin with one of his own. "You'll have to get up to see it because I can't turn my neck."     Robyn breathed out loudly through her nose, shaking her head as she got up. Even at this stage in the game Rowen still liked to play her for the chump.     "Nice scar," she finally said as she looked at the back of his head. Rowen's close-cut hair had been shaved completely away. The large, fat scar running vertically up his neck would probably remain for the rest of his life.     Robyn took another bite of cake and started doing her usual little jig. Must be her Happy Cake Dance, Rowen thought with amusement. Robyn was now making up words to a little tune that went with her dance.     "Ryo's great," Robyn sang as she boogied in place with her plate. "He gives me chocolate cake."     "Hey, I'm the one who made it," Cye said indignantly.     "Of course," Robyn grinned. "Thank you Cye," she cooed sweetly as she kissed his cheek. A light shade of pink rose up in his cheeks and all the guys grinned as they watched him.     "So what do you want for your birthday, Robyn?" Kento then asked.     Robyn paused and thought about it a bit, then she whispered something in Kento's ear. Grinning, Kento nodded and moved to Ryo, whispering something in his ear as well. The rest were looking on curiously as Ryo and Kento suddenly turned to Sage and grinned evilly. Before the young blonde could even react, Kento and Ryo had his arms pinned tight so Sage couldn't escape.     Sage looked up with wide eyes as Robyn slowly sauntered up to him with a predatory gleam in her eyes. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time," she purred as she reached out to him. Sage tried to pull back as Robyn slipped her fingers through his hair. She brought her face closer and Ryo and Kento refused to let go. Robyn smirked - and then promptly messed up Sage's hair.     The guys all laughed at the startled blonde as he was released again, his once perfect hair now in disarray.     "Yes, that felt good," Robyn beamed. "Happy birthday to me!" She thrust her fists in the air as if she had just kicked the winning field goal. Sage was not amused as he tromped off to the bathroom to fix his hair before they left for school.     "So are you ready for this weekend?" Rowen asked Robyn.     "Yeah, it's going to be fun," Robyn replied with a smile. "Are you coming with us, Rowen?"     "After all the arguing I've gone through with my mom, I had better be," Rowen said. "I won't be at school today. I have to rest all day if I go. Kento's going to pick me up on the way afterwards. But then I also promised to take it easy while we're there." Rowen made a face.     "Cool," Robyn grinned. "At least you get to come. It wouldn't be a real birthday party without you."     "Yeah, Rowen the party animal," Kento taunted sarcastically. "The party doesn't start until Rowen's there." Rowen gave Kento a shove. Kento growled in frustration. "Yeah, just keep smiling, Rowen, I'd sock you one if I wasn't afraid your brain would fall out of your skull." Rowen just grinned.     "Okay guys," Sage announced as he came out of the bathroom, straightening his collar. "Now that everyone's had their fun," he shot that statement to Robyn who, in turn, tried to look innocent, "let's get going before we're late. We still have to take Rowen home, remember."     "Yeah, yeah," Kento grumbled. "It's bad enough that we had to go wake him up, now I gotta cart him back home again while we're stuck at school."     Cye raised an eyebrow at Rowen's satisfied expression. "You're just loving this, aren't you?" he asked in his usual English accent.     "Every second," Rowen confirmed.     "Come on, guys," Ryo urged. "We can't be late for school or I'm going to get three more hours of detention."     "I'd like to know of a day when you weren't late to class, Ryo," Sage informed him as he started out the door.     Robyn and Cye grabbed not only their book bags, but their packed travel bags as well. Robyn had packed substantially more stuff than Cye did - at his mother's request. Heavy sweaters, coats, and thick socks were all she was going to be wearing this weekend.     "Now Robyn," Mrs. Mouri counseled before she could leave. "I want you to take care of yourself. Take your medicine and dress warm. And don't stay outside too much if you can help it and be sure to get some rest."     "Yes, Mom," Robyn said in a tolerant tone. She had taken to calling Cye's mother 'mom' for a while now.     "And Cye, make sure she does."     "Yes, Mom," Cye repeated.     "Okay, you kids all have fun this weekend now," Cye's mother waved to the teens as they drove away.     They reached the school roughly ten minutes later, decidedly less one passenger. The first bell sounded just as they were stepping out of Kento's jeep. Everyone was hastily going their separate ways when Cye elbowed Ryo suggestively in the side. "What?" Ryo wanted to know.     Cye cleared his throat. "Remember what you were supposed to do?" he prodded.     Ryo's blue eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh yeah!" He hurriedly dug for a certain object in his backpack and then started running.     "Here, Robyn," Ryo said quickly as he thrust the object at her. Robyn took the slightly matted rose questioningly. "Happy birthday!" Ryo called as he dashed to class.     Robyn blinked in confusion, wondering what possessed him to give her a gift like this. She soon got her answer. As it turned out, someone - most likely Cye - had set it up so Robyn was getting roses from various guys all day long. By the time the last bell had sounded, Robyn had a nice collection of sixteen roses. She received a seventeenth one when they all went to pick up Rowen before heading to their weekend retreat.     It had been planned for almost a week now. The entire gang was going to stay the weekend at Mia's place to celebrate Robyn's birthday and also to just relax. Mia was waiting on the porch as the jeep pulled up. She was talking with a younger boy Robyn had never seen before. As the gang all got out, the little boy with the large round eyes and black hair walked up to her and handed her the last rose - making it eighteen in all.     "Here, happy birthday," the little boy muttered.     Robyn smiled as she took the flower. "And who's this little guy?" she asked.     "This is Yulie, a friend of ours," Cye explained.     "And the cutest guy to give me a flower all day," Robyn said as she kissed the little boy's cheek.     Yulie quickly pulled back in disgust. "Yuck!" he exclaimed as he rubbed his cheek on his sleeve. "You guys didn't say she was going to kiss me!"     Kento put a heavy hand on the little boy's shoulder. "If only we all could be so lucky," he said wistfully.     A few of the guys chuckled. Robyn tried to laugh but it only caused her to break into another fit of raspy coughs so she gave that up and went about unloading her things instead.     "Here, Robyn, let me take that for you," Sage offered politely. Robyn looked a bit surprised but then handed her large travel bag to the tall blonde.     "What about me?" Rowen wondered. "I still shouldn't be lifting heavy things."     Sage took one look at Rowen's bag and smirked. "You'll live," he said as he continued into the house.     "HEY!"     "Sorry, Rowen," Robyn grinned. "Birthdays still beat brain surgery any day of the week."     Rowen grumbled to himself as he continued up to the house. Mia started out by showing Robyn her room - the boys already taking the rooms they usually had when visiting. Kento and Cye always shared a room, as well as Sage and Rowen. Ryo slept alone, or with White Blaze if the large cat preferred to sleep indoors. As everyone started to unpack, Mia began dinner for which Yulie was staying until his parents came to pick him up.     Cye was the first one down and, of course, went right in to help Mia. Kento followed soon after but didn't make it for very long before Cye chased him out for tasting the main course. The delicious smells from the kitchen probably brought Sage and Rowen down about fifteen minutes after. But by the time the table was set and everyone was ready to eat they were still a few people short.     Yulie was outside playing with a newly arrived White Blaze when Kento called him in; demanding he hurry up so they could eat. Cye went up the stairs to fetch the other two. He checked in Ryo's room first, but it was empty. A quick glance into Robyn's room discovered them both.     Robyn was sitting at the head of the bed, leaning against the wall and propping her math book on her pulled up knees. Ryo was sprawled out perpendicular at the foot of the bed with his long legs spilling out over the edge. He was on his back, staring at the ceiling and tossing a baseball in the air while idly talking about what ever came to his mind. Robyn would every once in a while answer with an "Mmm-hmm," as she did her makeup work from all the sick days she had taken.     Cye cleared his throat as he stepped in. "Dinner's ready," he announced.     Ryo looked up and saw Cye standing there. "All right!" he said as he jumped to his feet. "I'm starving!"     Robyn seemed just as enthusiastic as she tossed her book aside and they both started for the door. Rowen and Sage were lounging in the living room when they came down. Kento and Yulie were already in the kitchen, banging their utensils on the table enthusiastically.     "Great, everyone's here now," Mia said. "Let's go eat before Kento and Yulie destroy my kitchen out of protest."     Everyone grinned and started for the kitchen. Robyn paused in her tracks when she noticed a picture frame posted on the mantle.     "What's this?" she wondered as she picked it up.     It was a picture of Mia and Yulie standing outside her house with the guys. Only, they weren't wearing normal clothes. The five young men were dressed in some kind of colorful armor as they held their helmets in their hands and smiled at the camera.     "Nice Halloween costumes!"     Ryo casually glanced at what Robyn was holding and about had a spaz attack. "ACK! WHERE'D YOU GET THAT!?" Ryo panicked as he lunged for the picture.     Robyn easily sidestepped out of his reach, causing Ryo to fall on his face. "Why, what's the matter with it? I think you guys look cool in those things. Where'd you get them?"     By now, Cye had also seen the picture she had. "It's nothing! Give it back!" he cried as he groped for the picture. But Robyn once again moved out of his grasp.     "Gol, you guys, it's just a picture. What's the big deal?"     Just then, a hand came out of nowhere and snatched the frame away from her. It was Rowen. He was far calmer than the other two as he looked at the picture.     "It was only some dumb party we went to," Rowen said casually. "We were just being silly."     Robyn grinned. "They're cool! I'd love to see those costumes sometime."     "No!" screamed Cye. "You can't! That is, we... uh..."     "They're not... I mean..." Ryo helped him stumble.     "They were rentals," Rowen recovered with ease. "What? You think we made those on our own?"     "Aww... too bad," Robyn lamented. "You guys looked good." She let it go and started for the kitchen.     When she was gone, Rowen breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good thing he was a quick thinker. Having two guys whose kanji were trust and virtue made them lousy for coming up with stories. Rowen sauntered into the kitchen, looking none too satisfied as he shoved the picture in Mia's face.     "Take care of this, will you?" he whispered through his teeth.     Mia took a look at the picture and gasped at her blatant mistake. She quickly went to dispose of it and any other evidence she could think of while everyone sat down for dinner.     The meal was - as usual - delicious. And it was followed by another birthday cake in which everyone sang to Robyn this time. But there were no candles. Robyn still didn't even have the lung capacity to make it up the stairs without going into a coughing fit. No one wanted her to blow on their food. And Robyn fully understood.     Afterwards, the majority of the group went outside to play some made-up game with a large blow-up ball Mia happened to have. Rowen and Robyn stayed inside due to their respective medical conditions. It was starting to get dark when Yulie's parents came to pick him up. Those remaining outside continued to play while Rowen and Robyn could hear Yulie and his parents drive off.     The two invalids were situated quite comfortably on the same couch. It was built to fit about three people and Rowen was stretched along the length of it with a warm blanket over his body and a schoolbook in his hands. Robyn sat normally at the opposite end of the couch. She too was also holding a schoolbook. But she also had Rowen's slippered feet resting in her lap; and she was becoming very aware of Rowen's habit of hitting his feet together while he was reading.     "Geeze, Rowen, hold still or sit normal," she finally said in an exasperated tone.     "Sorry," Rowen grinned, not showing a hint of remorse.     Robyn tried to go back to reading and Rowen watched intently for the right moment to make his feet bounce into her book.     "Rowen!" Robyn cried - or at least tried to. Her still-sore throat made her voice sound raspy and it almost disappeared altogether as she hit the last syllable.     Rowen chuckled at the way his name sounded. But he couldn't laugh too hard or his head would start to hurt again. Robyn gave him a sarcastic smirk.     "So where did you get these stupid slippers anyway?" Robyn asked as she pinched at his toes. "They look all gay and femmy on you."     "Hey, they're my dad's," Rowen defended. "And for your information, they're very warm and comfortable."     "Yeah, well, kick my book again and they'll be flying across the room."     Rowen kicked her book again. It was very strange how surprised he looked when Robyn made good on her threat and tried to pull his slippers off his feet.     "Hey!" Rowen protested as he tried to pull back, making his feet stiff so it would be harder to pull off his slippers.     "I told you," Robyn growled as she wrestled away one slipper.     Rowen grabbed her arm before she could chuck it across the room. The air was filled with growls and protests and the sounds of struggling until there was a heavy thump as both of them fell off the couch.     The other four Ronins plus Mia came in laughing and talking, their cheeks all flushed from running around in the cool air. They all paused and went silent at the sight that met them. The couch cushions had been dragged off the couch and books and blankets were tossed helter-skelter about the room - not to mention Rowen's slippers. In the middle lay Rowen and Robyn tangled up in each other; the latter coughing up a storm while the former clutched his head and whined for some aspirin.     Cye took one look and proceed past them into the kitchen without a second glance. "I don't even want to know," he stated as he went. The rest of them followed his example. 

***** 

    Robyn tossed in bed for the umpteenth time and sighed wearily. It was so hard to get to sleep! The medication she was on made her restless all the time, not to mention the coughing and having to sleep in a strange bed just made it worse. She had a feeling she was not going to be catching much sleep on this weekend getaway.     Sounds of creaking in the hallway caused her to sit up. Her breath caught in her throat as heavy footsteps brought a dark shadow to pass by her doorway. "Who's out there?" she asked the hall.     The figure stopped and then stepped back to her door. "Just me," Kento said in a hushed voice. "I'm sorry if I woke you."     "What are you doing up?" Robyn asked just as quietly.     "Cye's snoring is keeping me awake. I think he's got a cold or something."     Robyn nodded. "Yeah, he picked up one a few days ago. Poor kid."     "You should talk." Kento smiled wanly in the darkness. "So anyway, I'm just going to sack out on the couch so I can get some sleep."     "You can sleep with me if you want," Robyn offered. "The bed's big enough."     Kento blinked in surprise at the proposition. "Uh, Robyn, I really don't think - I mean, you and me... it's not-"     "Oh grow up," Robyn cut him off curtly as she rolled over in bed. "I'm not suggesting anything. I just thought you would prefer a bed to that bumpy old couch. But you certainly don't have to take it if you don't want to."     Robyn closed her eyes and tried to ignore the sudden silence as she attempted to fall asleep. It wasn't long until the bed springs squeaked and she felt something heavier settle in the bed beside her. Kento had a blanket of his own and vouched for sleeping on top of the covers Robyn was using. The young redhead didn't care either way as she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Kento was looking at the ceiling as well with his arms folded behind his head.     Neither of the bed's occupants closed their eyes as one of them broke the silence. "Robyn?" Kento asked.     "Hmm?"     "Do you mind if I ask you something personal?"     "I don't care."     "What - what were your parents like?"     "My parents? Why do you ask?"     Kento shifted under his blanket. "I just want to know. As a friend, I want to understand where you're coming from."     "You sure you want to know?" Robyn asked dubiously.     "Yeah."     Robyn took a moment to roll over on her side and she propped herself up on her elbow so she could look at Kento's face in the dark. "Well, I don't remember my mom too much. She died about two years before I moved to America. But I know that she... she wasn't well. She was always paranoid about everything - like the world was out to get her. If she ever cared about me she never showed it. She was just mean to me all the time. She would trip me or hit me or yell at me. It was when she was nice to me that I worried. It usually meant she wanted something from me or she was trying to trick me. I-" Robyn paused as Kento sat up in bed. "Is this bothering you? I can stop if you'd like."     "No," Kento said quietly. "Keep going."     Robyn sat up as well and leaned against the headboard. "Well as I was saying, I didn't ever tell anyone how my mom was. It's hard to imagine, but that was the only life I had known and I just figured that all kids' moms were like that. Until I met Cye's family that is. He made me realize that there was something wrong at my house. But I still couldn't do anything about it.     "It's hard to recall a lot of my childhood. It's like I made myself forget all that happened. But I do remember clearly the day my mom killed herself, because I was the one who found her dead with her head in the toilet with a bunch of pills scattered around her."     Robyn paused again, watching Kento in the darkness. His body was tense. She couldn't see it as much as she could feel it. The tension in the air was thickening and Robyn waited for a sign for what she should do next. "What did you do?" Kento finally asked.     Robyn breathed in. "I went over to Cye's house and I played until my dad got home and called an ambulance to our house. He was never the same after Mom died. He was a very quiet man before - always keeping to himself. To this day I still wonder where he was all the times my mother treated me like she did. But after she was gone, something inside him just snapped. Within days it seemed he had lost everything - his job, his life, his sanity. He devoted his time to drinking and getting angry at me.     "He blamed me for my mother's death, you know. With all the times she said she hated me and how easily she said she could kill me - nearly did a few times. He often told me it was my fault everything happened the way it did and that I had destroyed my family. I believed him then. I wanted to take my mother's place so bad so they could live together and I couldn't mess up anyone else's life. But then there was Cye. He told me I was wrong. That it wasn't my fault. That I deserved better. I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for him."     The two sat in silence for a long time after that. In the dark neither one moved or even breathed loudly. The faint sound of Cye's snoring from the other room could be heard.     "Thank you," Kento finally said. "Thanks for telling me. I needed to know. I wanted to understand how Cye feels, and now I do."     "Anytime," Robyn replied.     "Robyn?"     "Yes."     "Can I give you a hug?"     Robyn chuckled. "I'm okay, Kento. It's been so long ago, talking about it doesn't bother me any more."     "No. I meant that I need one."     Robyn smiled in the dark and leaned into him. She wrapped her arms around his midsection while Kento embraced her shoulders. He tucked her head under his chin and held her tightly. Robyn didn't understand all the emotions she was getting from him as he hugged her, but she embraced him just as tight. They stayed there for about a minute before Robyn pulled away and patted his cheek.     "Now go to sleep," she ordered softly as she settled back down under her covers.     Kento did the same but another certain question wandered out of his mouth. "Are you going to marry Cye someday?"     Robyn snorted in the darkness. "Why do ask that?"     "You love him, don't you?"     "Well, yeah, I love him. But not like that. What business is it of yours anyway? Are you jealous?"     "NO!" Kento immediately interjected. "I just thought it would be obvious you guys will end up together."     Robyn was quiet for a moment. "I don't know. You'd think with all the trouble I've caused him and the gray hairs he's going to get from me already that he wouldn't want to have me around for the rest of his life. But still..."     Robyn's voice got quieter as her mind wandered off. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like, you know, to be married to him. Or to be married to anyone, for that matter. Call me immature, but the thought still weirds me out. I'm definitely not ready for something like that anytime soon. How about you Kento? Kento?"     "Zzzzzzz...."     Robyn looked over to see the muscular young man was fast asleep. "It's nice to know I'm so interesting," Robyn mumbled. But then she smiled and rolled over in bed.     The night ticked on as Robyn's thoughts meandered a bit more. It was hard to tell how much time had gone by before she started feeling drowsy and Robyn was slowly being lulled to sleep by the soft rhythmic breathing of the body next to her. She closed her eyes as he felt herself drift away. But then something heavy suddenly fell on top of her and she was jolted wide awake. Robyn looked around to see Kento had rolled over in his sleep. His thick arm was now draped over her as he snoozed lightly in her ear.     Robyn smiled to herself at the sleeping form. It was obvious she would get no rest if she stayed here. She carefully retracted herself from the bed and grabbed a blanket. Padding slowly out in the hall she momentarily entertained the idea of going back to bunk with Cye. But Kento's story had not been exaggerated when he said he couldn't sleep with Cye's snoring. She could hear him sawing logs clear out in the hall. Going in to stay with anyone else in the house was definitely out of the question, so Robyn sighed and trudged downstairs to crash on the couch. 

***** 

    Sage was the first one downstairs that morning. Quite unlike his usual morning self, Sage hadn't even bothered to get dressed yet. Though usually one to get completely ready for the day before setting foot out of his room, he decided he would let that habit slide this once. His warm flannels covered him from wrist to ankle so he was modest enough - especially compared to Rowen and Kento who had been known to tromp around in just their boxers from time to time.     The tall blonde covered a yawn and rubbed at his tired eyes. He needed more sleep but there was no way he was going to get it now. By this time it went without saying that Sage didn't sleep much at nights. And with the added bonus of sharing a bed with Rowen - the wildest sleeper Sage had ever known - Sage had gotten even less sleep than usual. He wandered into the kitchen, not even noticing the lumpy thing under the blanket that was snoozing on the couch.     Sage jumped back a bit when his bare feet touched the freezing kitchen floor. He was surprised to find the place empty. Cye was usually up making breakfast by now. But then he remembered that Cye was a little sick himself. He probably needed the extra sleep. So Sage set about making himself some toast and Cye came down dressed a few minutes later and started on breakfast.     Mia was next to come down when breakfast was ready. The young brunette was dressed and primped as she was much aware of the many male guests she was housing for the weekend. "Good morning, Mia," Cye chirped. "You look lovely this morning."     "Thank you Cye," Mia replied as she helped herself to some of the pancakes Cye had made and then sat down at the table next to Sage. Sage didn't even move as he spaced out over his cup of hot chocolate. Cye finally got around to dishing himself out some breakfast of his own and joining them at the table. He looked at Sage with the same expression Mia had.     "If you pardon my saying so Sage," the British boy said, "you look like you got in a fight with a bunch of Dynasty soldiers and lost."     "Feel like it, too," Sage mumbled.     "Sage, are you sure you're feeling okay?" Mia asked, worried. "Maybe you should go back to bed and try to get some more sleep."     Her efforts were rewarded with a weak smile from Sage. "I'm fine Mia, just give me a second to wake up."     Mia, not convinced, was about to push the matter when Ryo walked in wearing dark sweat pants and a button up shirt that was left open, exposing his bare chest.     "Hey, anyone know who's sacking out on the couch?" the bearer of Wildfire asked.     The three looked up and blinked. None of them noticed anyone sleeping on the couch when they had come in. "It must be Kento," Cye concluded. "He wasn't in the room when I woke up. I wonder why he moved out there."     Ryo choked back a chuckle before saying "You were snoring last night, Cye."     "I was?" the rusty-haired youth wondered.     Everyone nodded. Cye sniffed and scratched at his nose. Kento sauntered into the room soon after. "Anyone know why Robyn's crashed on the couch?" he wondered as he came in.     "That's Robyn out there?" Ryo asked. He got up to lean against the doorway and gaze into the other room.     As if just to answer that particular question, Robyn lumbered in with the blanket over her head like a hood. To put it nicely, she looked like the living dead as she staggered forward in almost a zombie-like state. She didn't seem to notice anyone as she passed Ryo and then plopped heavily in the nearest chair and stared straight ahead with bloodshot eyes.      "Whoa, and I thought Sage looked bad this morning," Kento commented.     Sage shot him a dirty look over his cooling mug while Robyn didn't even seem to notice. Cye got up to fetch Robyn a plate of breakfast. It took her over a minute to notice it after Cye had set it under her nose. Robyn finally looked down at her plate. Her delayed reaction was a sickly, almost pained look on her face before she got up and headed back for the living room with her blanket.     She bumped slightly into Ryo on the way out and the dark-haired youth grabbed her shoulders so she was facing him. She looked up at him, causing her makeshift hood to fall off her head.     "Not feeling too good this morning?" he asked softly.     Robyn shook her head. She moved forward with the intent of merely leaning her forehead against his shoulder. But Ryo surprised her by pressing her against him so her whole body could rest wearily against his. Robyn was too tired to protest and allowed him to hold her. Robyn closed her eyes as she felt his bare skin against her cheek. He was always so warm. Not warm as in when Kento would try to give her a hug when he was all hot and sweaty. But a gentle, soothing warmth that seemed to continually radiate from his body.     Robyn half opened her eyes to see that everyone was looking at them. But the face her gaze settled on was Mia's. She could see jealousy clearly in her eyes. Robyn idly wondered what for as she pulled away from Ryo and went back to curl up on the couch.     After that, everyone went back to eating their breakfast. By the time they were all finished, the table was cleaned up, and what remained of the food was cold, Rowen was up. He was found wearing just his boxers and a sweater and squatting beside the small body curled up on the couch. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked Robyn sincerely.     "Yeah," Robyn's voice was hardly a whisper. "I just didn't get very much sleep last night."     "Well you don't sound too good either," Rowen patted her shoulder. "Try to get some rest. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask any of us, all right?"     Robyn nodded and sighed as she closed her eyes. She could still feel Rowen's hand on her arm before he got up to head to the kitchen. "Wait a minute," Mia suddenly announced. "If Kento didn't sleep in his room and Robyn slept on the couch, then Kento, where did you sleep?"     Kento suddenly looked like his hand was caught in the proverbial cookie jar as all the guys glared at him. "Kento, you better not have done what I think you did," Cye said in a warning voice.     "Now hold on, guys," Kento floundered. "I can explain. It's not my fault - really!"     "Then you better start talking before I can get my frying pan," Cye threatened as he ran for the kitchen.     "Mommy! I'm out of here!" Kento cried as he hastened out the closest door.     "Get him, guys! Don't let him escape!" Cye led the charge as the rest of them chased after the bearer of Hardrock.     Mia just sighed as she watched them go. She had never seen Cye so protective of anything before. And Robyn was just a friend. She would hate to see him when he had daughters of his own.     Mia also took a moment to compare this time to the trip they took at the cabin Kento's family owned. Things were sure different then. This girl Robyn wasn't nearly as close. Back then most of the guys wouldn't have been caught dead in the boxers and T-shirts they had worn to bed with Robyn around. This morning Cye had been the only one who had bothered to get dressed. They were all getting to be as casual around Robyn as they had ever been around her.     And now they all hovered over the sick young girl like a pack of mother hens. Even Sage, whom a few months before had told her himself he didn't like Robyn, showed his concern for her in his own way. When did she become such a part of their lives? Mia hated to admit it, but she was jealous. SHE was the prominent female of the group. SHE was the one they always came to for guidance and wisdom. SHE was the one who had helped risk her life in defeating the evil Dynasty master. This new Robyn girl had done none of these things. What made her so special that caught the attention of all five of them when she walked in the room? She wasn't even that pretty.     The brunette woman paused when she realized how petty she had let her thoughts become. She really wasn't in any place to make assumptions. She hardly even knew this girl; she was in no place to judge. Mia silently promised herself that she would make a special effort to get to know this girl before making further judgment. The sounds of the guys getting into a brawl outside was heard faintly as Mia went into the kitchen to finish cleaning up. 

***** 

    Robyn went back to sleep for another two hours or so. Life simply continued on around her as she slept. The faint sound of conversation reached her ears when she finally returned from the land of slumber. Robyn didn't open her eyes at first as she listened to the voices. Nothing they said made much sense to her as she was still half asleep. But the voices were calm and quiet and caused Robyn no need to rouse herself too quickly.     The second thing Robyn noticed was that her sleeping position felt a little off for some reason. The silky couch pillow she had fallen asleep on wasn't there any more. Instead, the material her head was resting on was a bit more rough with a vaguely familiar texture. Whatever was beneath the material felt quite hard and firm. Robyn cracked an eye open and felt around to feel what this thing was she had been using as a pillow. She was quite surprised when the voice closest to her cried out in similar surprise and the thing she was resting on jumped.     "What the heck?" Robyn mumbled in a hoarse voice. She pulled herself up on her hands and knees and looked down at what appeared to be someone's lap.     "Hey careful, I'm ticklish there," Ryo grinned, touching his knee where Robyn had grabbed him. Robyn bewilderedly looked him in the face, still confused at what was going on. "Sorry," Ryo grinned sheepishly. "There wasn't any other room and I didn't think you'd mind."     Robyn sat back on the couch and looked around. Rowen was stretched out on the long couch with his arm draped over his eyes. On the other small couch sat Mia and Sage, both sipping at tiny cups filled with warm tea. It finally got through to Robyn that Ryo had merely moved her while she was sleeping, placing her head on his lap while he sat down. Robyn rubbed her eyes and yawned.     "So were you having a dream?" Ryo asked. "You were mumbling something in your sleep."     "Yeah...." Robyn mumbled as she scratched her head. "...Wildfire..."     Upon hearing that, Mia just about dropped her teacup while Sage choked on the tea he was drinking. Ryo just looked at her, shocked. "What did you say??" Sage demanded.     "Huh?" Robyn looked up, unaware of the chaos she had just caused. "Oh, I had a dream about this... wild brush fire... it was kind of weird." Everyone settled only slightly after that. "Well, I'm going to get a shower and dressed now, I think," Robyn said between a yawn. She got up, toting the blanket with her.     "Hey, Robyn," Rowen suddenly said. His mouth was the only thing that moved and it was hard to tell how long he had been listening or if he had just woken up himself. "How about sleeping with me in my bed this time tonight?" He grinned and moved his arm slightly so he could see her.     "Rowen Hashiba, you're so incorrigible," Robyn berated. "Forget it."     "How about if I just join you for the shower then?" Rowen continued with that same expression Robyn didn't like.     "Follow me upstairs and I'll give you my own personal lobotomy through that cut in the back of your head," Robyn threatened as she started for the stairs. Where was Cye when she needed him to put Rowen in his place? He and Kento probably killed each other earlier that morning. Too bad.     Robyn dragged herself up the stairs and into the bathroom. After locking the door she gazed at the mirror and instantly felt pity for the scraggly, sickly looking girl gazing back at her. Her thoughts wandered off to Mia and how beautiful she was and how she always looked her best even in the early morning hours. Why couldn't Robyn be like that? Why couldn't she be graceful, feminine, and attractive? And why - why didn't Rowen flirt with Mia and just leave her alone? _Must be that medication. It must cloud his judgment,_ Robyn thought as she hopped into the shower.     Robyn welcomed the steaming hot water as it poured down her face and warmed her body. She leaned against the cool shower wall and closed her eyes. Perhaps Cye's mother was right. Perhaps she wasn't well enough to go on a trip like this. But now that she was here, Robyn was not going to let her have the satisfaction. She was going to stay the whole time and tough it out. And roughly an hour later, Robyn finally pulled herself away from the shower.     Covered by a warm robe, Robyn went back to her room to dress. She had on jeans and a thick green sweater and she was drying her hair when Mia walked by her open doorway. "Hey, Mia," Robyn called as she passed.     "Um... hey," Mia said as she paused hesitantly in the doorway. "How are you feeling? Do you have everything you need?"     "Yeah, I'm fine," Robyn replied. "I forgot to thank you for letting us all stay here for my birthday and stuff. And for putting up with all of us."     "It's no problem," Mia smiled. "I've put up with those guys several times before. I'm used to it." She turned to leave.     "You don't like me too much, do you, Mia?"     "Excuse me?" Mia wondered as she turned back around.     "It's all right, I understand," Robyn said as she continued to comb her hair in front of the mirror. "I mean, you used to have these five guys all to yourself and now some bimbo comes waltzing in and takes away all the attention from you. I'd be jealous, too."     "Now hold on," Mia protested. "Who said anything about me being jealous? I'm not!"     "Oh, come on. I've seen how you look at me when I'm joking around with them. So which one is it that you like?"     "That's none of your business. And who said I liked any of them anyway?"     "I hope it's not Cye," Robyn continued on as if she hadn't said anything. "Then I'd really feel bad for you because he obsesses over being my mom all the time. I don't think that guy is ever going to get himself a girlfriend. Oh, what about Sage, Mia? Is he the one you like?"     Mia was starting to lose her fight as Robyn continued to ramble on. "Well, I do admit he's attractive. But really, I don't like-"     Robyn cut her off as she suddenly dropped her brush and gasped. "It's Ryo!" she exclaimed as her hands went over her mouth. "Oh my gosh! Why didn't I see it before? You like Ryo!"     Mia stepped back as her face suddenly flushed. "Now wait a minute..."     "Uh, uh, uh," Robyn grinned. "You can't hide from me. I saw that expression on your face when he was hugging me earlier this morning."     "No, I don't like Ryo, okay?"     "Mia, your face is bright red," Robyn insisted. "It's no big deal. I think it's sweet you have a crush on Pyro-Boy. Hey, if you want I can tell him how you feel. Is he still downstairs?"     "NO!" Mia practically screamed. "Don't tell him, please! If you do I'll - I'll tell Rowen you love him."     Robyn snorted. "Yeah, I soooo want his body. Like he'll believe you." Mia started to look worried. "Hey, it's okay," Robyn assured her. "If you don't want me to tell him I won't, okay? And as an extra favor I'll stay away from him and save him for you, all right?" _Of course, I already promised Kami I'd save him for her, too. But that's beside the point._     Mia smiled faintly. "I-I appreciate that..." I guess...     Robyn grinned as she stood to leave. "No problem," she said as she headed out the door and down the stairs.     She was about to start into the kitchen for something to eat when she spotted Rowen coming her way. Robyn gasped and quickly hid around the corner. She knew it was rude, but she just wasn't in the mood to put up with him at the moment. She could hear Rowen whistling in the next room as he wandered around. Frantic not to be seen, Robyn grabbed her jacket from the coat rack nearby and snuck out the back door as quietly as she could.     Robyn ran a few paces from the house for extra measure. She couldn't go too far too fast because her lungs were still healing. But it was good enough. Robyn paused to breathe in the clear forest air and bask in the serene stillness. It had been far too long since she had been outside; alone and away from everyone. She had been trapped in her house for over a month with people around her always asking her how she felt and reminding her to take her medicine and so on. What a relief to finally get away from it all, even just for a moment.     Deciding to take a walk, Robyn steered herself to a slightly worn path leading into the trees. She walked slowly and was deliberately light in her footsteps. She only knew the whereabouts of Rowen and Mia. If any of the others happened to catch her out here they'd make her go inside right away. So Robyn walked stealthily through the forest undergrowth, careful not to be caught off guard by any unwanted company.     She was so engrossed in keeping herself from being caught she didn't ever think about the possibility of catching someone else off guard. That is, until a hand appeared out of nowhere and pinned her arm behind her back. Robyn cried out in alarm as she was taken completely by surprise.     "Robyn?" a startled voice asked as her captor let her go.     "Geeze, Sage, what were you trying to do? Give me a heart attack?" Robyn asked through a fit of coughs.     "What are you doing out here?" Sage asked, still a bit bewildered. "Especially sneaking around the woods like that."     "Man, and I thought Cye was paranoid," Robyn mumbled. "I just wanted to go for a walk. I was trying to be quiet so none of the others would find me and make me go back inside. They're always noisy so I can hear them if they're coming. I wasn't expecting I'd run into you."     Sage raised an eyebrow. "You weren't worried about me finding you?"     "You're the only one who doesn't make a big deal about me being sick and stuff." Robyn wasn't sure, but she thought she caught a quick change of expression on Sage's face when she said that. Did he look almost... troubled? Hurt? It passed so quickly she couldn't tell. "So what are you doing out here?" Robyn wondered.     "There's a place up here I often go to just to be by myself." He paused to look down at her. "Would you... like to see it?"     Robyn smiled. "If you wouldn't mind having company this time?"     Sage smiled back and jerked his head to the side in a motion meaning for her to follow him. The young blonde led her through the bushes and up a rocky hill to where a large, flat rock was embedded into the ground and a small drop on the other side fell down into a terrain. There was a fine mist floating on the ground below, created from the cool air sitting at the dark forest floor.     "This is it," Sage announced. "I know it's not the most beautiful thing in the forest, but I like it because the trees open up perfectly to let the sun shine on this spot right here. It's like this place was made for me."     _So that's what he's into, Robyn thought. Sage likes the light and the sun. What a strange bunch of guys I've fallen in with._     An eerie howl floated up from the ravine below. Sage's eyes widened as instinct from past experiences kicked in. He ran to the edge of the rocky platform and looked down. Robyn moved behind him as a series of barks sounded from the trees. A single deer burst through the undergrowth and on its heels was a pack of six or so hungry looking wolves.     "Oh no!" Sage exclaimed as he suddenly took off.     Robyn instantly grabbed his coat sleeve to hold him back. "What do you think you're going to do?" she demanded.     "I've got to help it!" Sage exclaimed as he tore away. He didn't get far when something suddenly jumped on his back and pushed him to the ground. He fell forwards with Robyn on top of him. Her legs and arms were wrapped around him in a strange fashion. This held his own limbs tight and he was unable to break free, even against the smaller girl holding him.     "If you think I'm going to let you go down in the middle of a pack of wild wolves, you're crazy!" Robyn yelled at him.     "No, I'll be okay! I can handle them!" Sage insisted as he continued to struggle frantically. "I have to help that animal!"     "No, Sage, stop it!" Robyn said with more authority then Sage had ever heard her use. "You're not doing anyone any favors by trying to play the hero here!"     Sage stopped struggling when the wolves caught their prey and the deer made one last cry before its throat was ripped by sharp jaws and it fell to the ground. Its life quickly spilled out of it and the wolves started feasting. Sage closed his eyes and clenched his jaw as he felt anger building up inside him.     "Why didn't you let me save it!" he cried as he struggled even more. "You let them kill it!"     Robyn held tight and let Sage thrash around for a while. "Look at those wolves, Sage," she said evenly. Sage seethed in his place and didn't move. He was too mad at her for stopping him and for keeping him in this completely undignified and embarrassing position. "I said look at them!" Robyn growled.     Sage slowly turned his head so he could see over the edge. The wolves had gathered around the lifeless body. They licked at their bloodstained muzzles and tore the raw flesh in large chunks from the creature's bones. Sage thought he was going to be sick.     "Look at those wolves," Robyn continued in a softer voice. "Look how thin and sickly they are. They need that food to stay strong and to stay alive. This time of year they probably have a litter or two of puppies to feed as well. They're not bad, Sage. They're just hungry animals doing what their kind has done for thousands of years."     Robyn gave a humorless laugh. "You and Rowen. Since you guys study martial arts you think you're qualified to save everyone in this world. But you're looking for an evil when there isn't one. Sometimes the higher call is not accepting the fight but just leaving things be."     With thus said, she finally released him. Sage scrambled to his feet the second he was able to move again. He stood there and looked down at Robyn, who remained kneeling on the ground. His breathing was heavy like he had been running as a series of emotions coursed through him. Sage didn't know what to feel, what to say, what to think. He just stood there and stared at her.     "I'm sorry if I made you mad," Robyn said softly as she stood. "Thank you for taking me here. I'm glad you did even if you don't feel the same." She nodded slightly, turned, and started down the hill with her hands clasped in front of her.     "Wait," Sage suddenly called out to her. Robyn paused and looked behind her. "Wh-what was that move you used on me?" Sage asked with sincere curiosity.     Robyn smiled. "I knew some varsity wrestlers back at my old high school. It was just a little something they showed me."     Sage smiled slightly. "Robyn?" he asked again.     "Yeah?"     "Maybe you're right."     Robyn nodded slightly and left the rocky hill. This time she ventured unbidden and went back to the house alone, leaving Sage by himself with his thoughts and the wolves below. 

***** 

    Robyn didn't go back inside. The weather was too nice and warm. It was a little while later before Cye strolled around the corner and spotted Robyn perched on top of the woodpile stacked up against the side of the house.     "So there you are," Cye greeted as he approached. "Are you sure you should be out here? If Mom finds out..."     Robyn smiled at him. "I'll be okay. It's warm enough outside. I just couldn't stand being cooped up inside any more." She patted the wood beside her. "Care to join me?"     Cye accepted and hopped up next to her. He closed his eyes and breathed in deep, enjoying the warmth from the sun after such a cold winter. "It is nice out today," he admitted.     "I had a weird dream this morning," Robyn said, changing the subject. "It wasn't like anything I felt before. Ryo was in it."     Cye grinned at her. "Uh-oh. Is this something I want to hear?"     Robyn smirked and elbowed him in the side. "You've got a dirty mind sometimes, you know that?"     Cye continued grinning. "Well come on then, tell me. Hopefully I won't get too jealous afterwards."     Robyn shook her head but told him anyway. "Well, I'm walking through a forest - just like this one here. And it's really quiet and peaceful. But then suddenly I look around and everything's on fire. It was all around me but the weird thing was that I didn't feel scared. It wasn't like a regular fire. Nothing was really burning, the fire was just... there. And then right in the middle of the flames is Ryo. He just looks at me and walks right through it like the fire can't touch him. No," Robyn corrected herself. "More like he was a part of it.     "It was such a weird dream. It felt like maybe there was some kind of message to it or something." She paused and looked at Cye. "Does that sound weird to you?"     Cye was engrossed with her story when Robyn asked the question. He shook himself from his thoughts. "Oh no, no! I mean, it was only a dream, after all. I've heard stranger." _But none so accurate as this. What could it possibly mean? Should we tell her about our armors?_ "Are you going to tell Ryo about it?" Cye then asked.     Robyn snorted. "Yeah, right! If I said I dreamed about him he'd probably come to the same conclusion you did." _And if Mia ever heard about it she'd probably wig out and kill me in my sleep._     Cye was about to argue the matter when Kento poked his head out the window. "Hey, you guys, it's board game time," the bearer of Hardrock announced. "We're gonna play 'Trivia for Dummies', wanna join in?"     "Yeah," Rowen agreed as he poked his head out over Kento's. "We need more dummies, just having Kento isn't enough!"     "Hey! What's that supposed to mean!" Kento demanded as he looked up at Rowen. "I'll knock you stupid, and then we'll see who's the dummy!" Both of them pulled their heads back in as Kento grabbed the front of Rowen's shirt.     "Whoa, Kento, you can't do that," Rowen insisted. "Remember, my neck still hasn't healed yet. You wouldn't want my brain to fall out, would ya?"     "Yeah, but I can still do this!"     "Ouch! My shin! I'm going to get you, Kento!"     Cye and Robyn laughed as they heard sounds of a chase coming from inside. It was followed immediately by Mia yelling at the two for tearing around her living room and messing things up. Cye and Robyn decided they'd give them all another good ten minutes before daring to step in the house. 

***** 

    The rest of the day went as, for the most part, uneventful. Rowen got after Robyn for going outside when he had been good to stay inside all day. And in the meantime, Mia was starting to get annoyed that Robyn was now making sure she and Ryo were always sitting together if she could help it. Mia didn't know if by that Robyn was mocking her or genuinely trying to do her a favor.     That night everyone sat down around the fireplace with the lights low and took turns telling scary stories. Of course, Robyn made sure Mia shared the couch with Ryo, dropping subtle hints to both of them who Mia could cling to if she started getting scared. Cye was surprised to see that when Sage came in he made a beeline straight for Robyn and sat down next to her. Usually he would go to some effort to do just the opposite. And while Rowen was doing his best to tell the scariest story he could think of, Robyn and Sage seemed to be talking quietly amongst themselves off to the side.     Cye continued to watch them out of the corner of his eye. Sage rolled up his sleeve, showing Robyn a strange bruise on his elbow that looked quite recent. Robyn looked apologetic and patted his arm as if she had been the cause of it. Sage leaned in closer to Robyn and whispered something in her ear. Robyn glanced up and Rowen and the two chuckled together.     "Hey, you guys!" Rowen suddenly stopped his story in protest. "I'm trying to tell a story here, okay? I'm in the spotlight! Pay attention to me! Geeze!"     The two shared one last snicker between them before turning back to Rowen and trying to keep a straight face. Cye wondered what they had been talking about. More so, he wondered why the sudden closeness of the two. Were they actually... flirting over there? Of course, Robyn flirted with all of them, but this was the first time Sage had openly returned Robyn's friendly nature. What had gone on between them? Cye shook his head. He could live a thousand years and the young man known as Sage Date would forever be a mystery to him. 

***** 

    "Is Cye snoring again?" Robyn asked the dark figure in the hall as she sat up in bed.     "Yeah," Kento responded quietly. "This time I have to sleep on the couch. If I so much as step a foot inside your room tonight Cye's gonna murder me in a hundred different ways."     "You still shouldn't have to sleep on the couch," Robyn insisted as she climbed out of bed and joined him in the hall. "Come on, I've got a surefire way to stop anyone from snoring."     The two padded back up to the room Kento and Cye shared - the room where all the noise was coming from. Robyn marched in and flipped on the lights as if she owned the place. Not a moment did she hesitate as she crawled on the bed next to Cye, slid her arms beneath his thin frame, and promptly rolled him off the bed.     Cye was awake the instant he hit the floor. He looked around with bewildered green eyes and blinked in the light. "Stop snoring!" Robyn informed him. With that she promptly turned on her heels and stepped back out, flipping off the lights as she went. Kento watched her go, looking impressed.     "Well, it does work," he admitted.     Cye was still a bit stunned as Kento climbed into the bed they shared and made himself comfortable. Luckily, after Cye's ordeal, it took him a bit longer than usual to fall asleep this time. So Kento was already asleep before Cye began snoring again. Robyn smiled to herself as she heard both of them dozing peacefully down the hall. Now if only she could do the same thing... 

***** 

    Sage ran again through the darkness. He was always running. Time and time again he did this. His soul, his body, his mind - they were all so weary. So tired of always being afraid. So tired of always running from something he had never been able to escape. It came for him every night without fail, showing him every possible gruesome fate that awaited him. And if not him, then his family or his friends. Everything he held dear. This creature; this evil. Whatever it was, it knew. It knew how to get to him, it knew his fears more completely than Sage even knew them himself. And every night it came to torture his dreams over and over again.     Sage continued to flee through the dark, misty world. He wanted to cry, he wanted to drop dead. Anything that would get him away from the fear and the anguish. He could feel the evil presence chasing after him. Coming closer and closer. No matter how fast or how hard he ran, the evil would catch him. It always did.     _NO! Not again! _Sage's anguished mind cried out._ Just let me die! I can't take this any more! Please, let me be!_     And just when Sage could feel the monster's claws upon him, it stopped. Sage turned in surprise and looked behind him. The thick mass of darkness he knew so well just sat there. Its scorching red eyes glowed impatiently is if waiting for something. But what?     Then Sage felt it. He wasn't sure what it was but he felt another element in his dream which he had not experienced before. His eyes widened when he realized whatever it was, it was holding the demon back! This interfering presence was keeping the monster at bay. But how? Why? Sage looked around frantically. He had to know what it was, he had to keep it with him. He needed it to save him. 

***** 

    Sage sucked in a deep breath as his eyes suddenly popped open. His knuckles were white from clutching the sheets but other than that, he was fine. It was the first night in many months he had not awakened to the stench of darkness and death breathing down his neck. He looked around the room slowly. There was Rowen at his side, snoozing peacefully away as if the world couldn't touch him. But Sage jumped slightly when he looked the other way and saw a small figure perched on a tall stool by his bedside.     "Robyn?" Sage hissed. "Is that you? What are you doing in our room?"     Robyn's reply was calm. "Just watching," she replied in a quiet voice.     Sage was about to inform her what a pervert she was and to kick her out of his room when he realized she wasn't looking at him, but at the open doorway. It was then that Sage noticed it. The impatient shuffling in the hall he had heard in his own house the first time the nightmare came. He could feel its presence now. Even if he couldn't see it, he knew it was there. It stalked back and forth like a hungry beast waiting for the cage to be opened so it could pounce on its prey.     "Wh-what's going on?" Sage asked in a shaky voice, fearfully pulling his covers around him.     "It's okay," Robyn replied in the same tone. "Just lay down and go back to sleep."     Sage wasn't sure what possessed him to obey, but he did. He laid back down but he truthfully had no intention of going back to sleep. However, he could not stop himself from drifting away the second he closed his eyes. 

***** 

    Sage awoke to the wonderful, warm sunlight as it spilled over him from the window. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and looked over, expecting to see Rowen's sprawled out body taking up most of the bed. He was quite surprised to find Rowen seemed to have gotten up a while ago. Perplexed as to why Rowen would be up so early, Sage turned to the bedside clock only to find that it was well after noon. Sage blinked at the small device. He had never slept in so late before in his life.     Mulling the situation over in his head, Sage got up, got dressed and wandered downstairs. "Well now, sleeping beauty finally decided to get up this morning," Kento grinned from where he lounged on the couch.     "Morning, Sage," Mia greeted with a smile. "Did you sleep well?"     Sage blinked at the question as he stared at the lovely brunette. Slowly, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, Mia," Sage admitted. "Yeah, I did. Better than I have for quite a while in fact."     "Well, that's good to hear." Mia smiled sweetly and padded off to the kitchen.     Sage continued to grin as the realization of a good night's sleep still hung over him. He felt all around good. Just the simple lack of the fear and fatigue made him feel light and happy. And who did he have to thank for it? That crazy girl who snuck into his room last night and-     "Where's Robyn?" Sage demanded, his voice and actions suddenly becoming urgent.     "Whoa, calm down, buddy," Kento said. "What do you want her for anyway?"     "I just - I need to ask her something important."     Kento raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what on Earth had gotten Sage so wound up he needed to see Robyn, of all people, right away.     "She told me she was going for a walk around the lake," Cye offered as he stepped into the room. "She should be back-"     Sage didn't wait for a reply as he was already out to door and racing for the lake behind Mia's large house. Cye and Kento watched the door swing shut behind their friend. They looked at each other and collectively shrugged.     Sage ran at full speed all the way there. His hair looked more windblown than usual when he reached the water's edge. He didn't have to look long to find Robyn, who wasn't standing too far off and skipping stones at the corner of the lake. Sage walked up and quietly stood beside her as Robyn continued what she was doing as if he wasn't even there.     "What was that, Robyn?" he asked right off. He had a feeling he didn't need to clarify to what he was referring. "Something was there last night."     Robyn paused, not moving her gaze from the water and bouncing a small pebble in her hand. "It wasn't something. A something is a thing. It's an object, it has space. Or at least a thing is identifiable. It can be described - named."     Sage looked at her face. "Then what was it?"     Robyn continued to stare placidly at the lake. "It was nothing."     Sage took a step back as his eyes widened. He couldn't understand how such a simple phrase brought so much dread to his heart. Especially when he realized something. "You - you know what it is," Sage accused. "You know what's going on."     Robyn let out a deep breath as she stared at her fist. "I... know what it's like, that's all."     The bearer of Halo furrowed his brow as he dared to take a step closer. He swallowed as he asked the burning question. "Do you know how I can get it to stop? Do you know how I can get rid of these nightmares?"     Robyn flung her stone towards the lake and it skimmed the surface a few times before sinking. She finally turned to Sage and looked him in the face. "Have you ever told anyone about them?" Sage shook his head. "Maybe you should."     The tall blonde blinked at her momentarily. "Well, you see I-"     "No, not me," Robyn interrupted with a small smile. "I'm sure there's someone else that deserves to hear it more."     And with that she turned and walked back to the house. Sage made no move to follow as he watched her go. After a while he turned his gaze back towards the lake and furrowed his brow in thought. 

***** 

    It was sometime after noon when the Ronins and Robyn began packing for the trip back home. Rowen had just finished shoving his travel bag in the back of Kento's jeep with the rest of the luggage. He turned around and noticed his best friend sitting at the lake's edge. Rowen cocked an eyebrow in Sage's direction. He wasn't sitting like he normally did - legs crossed, arms down, eyes shut in concentration. Sage was perched up on a large rock with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around him. His eyes were set on the sparkling water that spread before him. From Rowen's point of view, Sage almost looked... normal. Something had to be wrong.     Kento, tossing some junk out of his vehicle and into the garbage, stopped what he was doing when he noticed Rowen wandering off. "What's he up to?" Kento asked himself. "We've got to go soon. Hey, Rowen, tell Sage to get his butt over here and-" He was cut off when Robyn tugged at his arm. "Yeah?"     "Give them ten minutes," Robyn suggested. "They should be done by then?"     "Done?" Kento demanded. "Done doing what?" But Robyn was already heading back for the house. "Hey, come back here Robyn!" Kento said as he went after her. "Tell me! What's going on? No one tells me anything! Robyn!" 

***** 

    Rowen walked up to the large rock at the lake side and leaned against it, his back slightly facing Sage's side. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked casually as he watched the lake as well.     There was a long span of silence before Sage swallowed his pride and answered. "Rowen," he said as he looked at his friend. "Do you mind if I talk to you? There's something that's been bothering me lately."     Rowen stiffened and slid further on the rock so they were sitting side by side. His long legs stretched down to the moist ground while Sage remained hugging his close to him. "Sure, Sage, you know me. We're best friends. You can tell me anything."     The blonde warrior took a deep breath and began. "It all started with this dream I had..." 


	11. Chapter Eleven: The Nightmare in the Clo...

Chapter Eleven 

"Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall"   
By Ghost of the Dawn 

Chapter Eleven - The Nightmare in the Closet 

    Robyn smiled again at the blue-haired youth sitting next to her. Rowen didn't seem to notice as he busily jotted down some trig notes while the professor yammered on. Robyn didn't care whether he noticed or not. This was Rowen's first day of being to school in over a month and she just couldn't get over how nice it was to have him back. It was a strange feeling. There had been some days when she felt like she had had more of Rowen Hashiba than she could stand. But she also had to admit that without him, things just weren't the same. Something inside just felt like it was missing until he came back today.     The red-haired girl pondered on him all class hour. When the bell rang, Robyn didn't want to part. Instead, she wanted to somehow let him know how much he was missed. The trick was telling him with out giving Rowen the wrong idea and giving him the opportunity to... be like himself.     "Hey, Rowen," Robyn said as they walked out the door. "You wanna skip class and go to an early lunch with me?"     Rowen blinked. "Right now?"     "Yeah, just the two of us. There's this little cafe only a few blocks off. It'll be fun."     A smile tugged at the side of Rowen's mouth. "I do have history next hour..."     "Well, so do I," Robyn insisted. "I mean, mine's not a college course like yours, but don't we study the same things every year? It's not like history will change while we have lunch."     Rowen looked thoughtful. "True. Okay Robyn, let's go."     "Great!" Robyn grabbed his sleeve and started leading him away.     Rowen followed at a moderate pace, listening to Robyn go on about the food at the place they were heading to. Robyn was caught in mid sentence when Rowen suddenly gasped and pushed her into a small nook conveniently created by the oddly shaped college building. Robyn blinked in surprise as she was pressed against the cold wall with Rowen's body. He was so close she could feel his heart beat; and it was racing a bit faster than normal.     "Rowen," Robyn protested, wanting to know what was going on.     Rowen silenced her by placing a finger to her lips. He glanced behind him and Robyn could vaguely see the form of Mr. Yamada, the principal, walking past. Both teens' bodies were ridged until the dreaded authority figure was out of sight.     "Whew, good call," Robyn commented. "Shall we go now?"     "I dunno," Rowen suddenly grinned and placed his palms against the wall in either side of her face. "I kind of like where I am right now."     Rowen instantly found himself stumbling back out onto the empty sidewalk while Robyn strutted out indignantly. Rowen frowned in unappreciation as he straightened his shirt. But then he had to turn his attention to more urgent matters - namely sneaking off the school campus without getting caught.     The task was easy enough. Within no time the two sluffers were strolling down the city sidewalks toward the cafe Robyn mentioned. The food there was a bit different from Kento's restaurant where they usually ate. But still pretty good, Rowen had to admit. The time they spent there was also quite enjoyable with the two of them talking idly about this and that and just enjoying each other's company. The usual school lunch period had been going almost ten minutes by the time they started back for campus.     "I wonder if anyone's missed us at lunch yet," Rowen wondered aloud.     "They're probably enjoying the peace and quiet for once," Robyn joked back.     Rowen laughed as they continued on. Neither one noticed the stout young man with beady eyes and brown shaggy hair leaning against a building as they passed. But he noticed them and instantly straightened as they walked by. "Well, well, long time no see," he said in a scratchy voice.     Upon hearing that voice, Robyn instantly froze in her footsteps and Rowen saw her face go pale. The stranger smiled tauntingly as he stepped forward, keeping his fists in his heavy brown coat. "Heard you had a birthday, Red. Congratulations."     Rowen turned to face the stranger while Robyn gripped his arm tightly. He could feel by her hold alone that the very presence of this guy terrified her. Her nails would have been digging into his flesh if he hadn't been wearing his jacket.     "What?" the young man feigned a hurt expression with the way Robyn reacted. "Such cold treatment. Is that any way to greet an old friend?"     Robyn backed away, her voice trembling. "You're not my friend," she whispered.     Rowen moved in front of her and eyed the stranger suspiciously. "Who are you?" he demanded.     The stout young man only eyed the bearer of Strata over and then snorted. "I can't believe you left Jason for... this! What were you thinking? Man, he would tear you apart if he knew what you've been doing. But I bet if you come with me right now he'll go easy on you and all will be forgiven. What do ya say?"     "She's not going anywhere," Rowen growled defiantly.     "Oh yeah," the bulkier teen also took a step forward. "And just what are you going to do about it?"     Robyn tugged imploringly at Rowen's sleeve. "Rowen, just forget about it," she pleaded. "You don't need to fight him. Come on, let's go back to school."     "No way," Rowen argued. "No one threatens my friends and gets away with it."     "Please don't," Robyn begged. "You still haven't recovered all the way yet. What if you get hurt?"     Rowen threw her a self-confident grin. "Trust me, Robyn, this guy won't even touch me."     "We'll see about that!"     Rowen dodged as the young man threw a punch at him. Unfortunately, the bearer of Strata had underestimated his opponent and the fist slightly grazed his face. _Hmm, I'm a bit out of practice,_ Rowen thought as he rubbed the now red spot on his cheekbone. _Time to brush up on some basic skills._     "Derek! Stop it!" Robyn yelled at Rowen's aggressor.     "Yeah, Derek," Rowen chided. "You better stop while you're ahead."     Derek just growled and punched at Rowen again. The blue-haired youth cleanly dodged the attack this time. And again and again as the young man now known as Derek continued throwing his fists at him. "What's the matter, Jap?" Derek taunted. "Not enough guts to fight back? You can't run from me the whole time."     "As you wish." Rowen caught the next flying fist and used the propulsion of Derek's own punch to send him flying into the nearest wall.     Robyn gasped as Derek's body collided solidly with the building and he fell to the pavement. The dazed youth got back to his feet shakily only to see Rowen still standing at the ready before him. A vengeful anger built up in the young punk and he growled as he started after the Ronin again. Same as before, Rowen artfully dodged each fist. And then, as if saying he had enough playing for one day, Rowen delivered a nice, practiced punch to Derek's nose followed by a swift kick to the side of the face. The Derek kid went down again. His nose was bleeding after he picked himself up off the sidewalk. He took one last look at Rowen, who wasn't even winded from the fight, and retreated down the street.     Rowen stood there, watching until the little punk was out of sight. Only after he was gone did he turn to face his friend. Robyn stood stalk still with eyes wide and her hands covering her open mouth. Rowen smiled at her as he rubbed his sore cheek. "Man, looks like it's time for me to start training with Sage again." The lighthearted comment didn't seem to change Robyn's expression any. "Hey, are you okay?" Rowen asked as he put a hand on her shoulder. After Robyn nodded he asked, "Who was that guy anyway?"     Robyn gazed in confusion at the direction the stranger had gone. "I-I knew him back in America..." she said in a far-off voice.     "America?" Rowen exclaimed. "Then what the heck is that little twerp doing here??"     Robyn shook her head as her gaze never wavered. "I don't know. He couldn't have-" She caught herself in mid sentence, as if she were about to give something away. "I don't know," she then repeated.     "Well, come on then," Rowen said, steering her back in the right direction. "We still need to get back to school before lunch is over." Robyn allowed him to lead her where he pleased.     "Rowen," she said after a while. "Please don't tell anyone what happened, especially Cye. Okay?"     "What?" Rowen protested. "I don't know if I want to keep quiet about that. What if that guy tries something again? He said he wanted you to come with him. What was that about?"     Robyn waved off his questions. "He's just being a jerk. That's the way he is."     "And what about that other guy he talked about? Jason, I think he said his name was. That sounded like a threat if you ask me."     Robyn stiffened at the mention of it. There was a decided pause before she answered. "Jealous ex-boyfriend. Not the smartest move I ever made. He and the guy who you fought with, Derek, were best friends. You know, now that I think about it, Derek could be here with his parents. You wouldn't believe it from the way he dresses, but his parents are stinking rich. They travel all over the place."     "Quite a coincidence meeting him here," Rowen commented.     "You're telling me," Robyn agreed. "But I doubt we'll see him again. It's not like he knows where I live or anything. Just don't mention what happened, okay? Cye has a heart attack over everything and I think I've shorted his life span enough already."     "Fine," Rowen consented after a while. "I'll keep quiet on one condition. If anything else happens, you stay straight with me. Deal?"     They were mere footsteps away from the campus now.     "Deal," Robyn agreed as she shook his hand. 

***** 

    Ryo sat and watched the sun set from his bedroom window. The spring colors were dazzling as the sky was lit on fire with shades of oranges and reds. But the bearer of Wildfire was hardly paying attention to the grand spectacle happening right before his eyes. His brow was knitted tightly as he thought about the dream he had a few months ago. The one with the raging fire and the gruesome figure. The one where his friends were tortured before his eyes and his very life was threatened. He never had a repeat of that dream since that night, but that didn't mean he forgot it.     There were times he would wake up with a similar feeling of dread in his heart and no memorable explanation for it. During these times, when he was alone and able to think, he could feel the creature's presence reminding him of its promise. The dream itself seemed to constantly replay relentlessly in a corner of Ryo's mind all the time.     But what did it all mean? It was a threat of some sort, Ryo was sure of that. A threat for him to stay away from this thing. It somehow knew what he was and the power he possessed. But this creature obviously had powers of its own. Was Ryo destined to fight with this thing someday? And if he did, was he destined to win? Is that why the creature so blatantly told him to stay back? And if he didn't when the time came, would the consequences foretold actually come to pass?     Ryo ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. So many questions without answers. One thing he knew for sure, something was definitely coming. Something not good. He could feel it. Deep down in the soul of his armor he could feel it. His armor gave him a strong intuition about these things and Ryo never took it for granted. So in the meantime, Ryo would be watching and waiting for the time when his questions would be answered and he would be called to take up arms again if necessary.     The dark-haired youth straightened and tossed his heavy thoughts to the wayside as he heard his grandmother enter the house downstairs. Ryo instantly forced his expression to lighten as he stood and headed out the door. Grandma Sanada got on his case enough about his habitual worrying. He didn't want her to get after him again. So instead, the bearer of Wildfire put back on his cheerful facade and went off to meet the world once again. 

***** 

    Mama Faun stepped into a small classroom decorated with brightly colored pictures and other types of odds and ends that helped make the setting. A thin, young woman with her raven hair pinned to her head was sitting at a quaint little desk and smiled her greeting as Mama Faun entered.     "Mrs. Rei Faun," the woman said. "How nice of you to be able to speak with me. I'm Ms. Ishida, Chun Fa's teacher."     "Yes, I guessed that," Mama Faun replied courteously.     "Please, have a seat," the young teacher motioned to the chair across from her. "I would like to discuss some things about your daughter that have me worried."     Mama Faun's expression instantly turned from pleasant to slightly concerned. "Oh? What happened?"     "Well," Ms. Ishida replied. "We had a small activity a few days ago. We had been studying myths and legends for the past week. We wandered into a few ghost stories and started talking about phobias and such. Then I had the children write about something that scared them and to draw a picture.     "Some kids said they were scared of the dark or they drew spiders or snakes. We had one boy draw some girls with cooties."     Mama Faun smiled at that.     "But I was quite surprised when Chun Fa turned this in," Ms. Ishida said as she produced a piece of paper. "She said she was the most afraid of the man that lived in the closet down the hall."     Mama Faun took the assignment and looked at it. There was a rough coloring - all in black crayon - of a human shaped figure standing in a doorway.     "Now, I know Chun Fa has some older brothers," Ms. Ishida went on to say. "Do you suppose perhaps one of them made up that story to scare her?"     Mama Faun continued to stare at the picture as she shook her head. She had no idea and somehow, it frightened her. 

***** 

    "Man, I hate this time of year," Kento observed as he sat down to eat lunch.     "How come?" Rowen asked. "We've got less than two months left of school. How can you not like this time of year?"     "That's not the reason," Kento insisted.     "Then what is it?"     Kento gave an exasperated sigh. "Man Rowen, are you blind or something? There's only like a million posters hanging up everywhere!" Rowen raised an eyebrow, not having a clue to what he was referring. "Hello, Rowen! It's the PROM, remember??"     Rowen sipped idly at his juice through a straw. "Yeah, I know that. So what's the big deal?"     "What's the big deal?" Kento repeated incredulously. "Every year it's the same thing. Suddenly everyone gets all lovey-dovey with the big goo-goo eyes." Kento stopped to glare at a happy looking couple as they walked by hand in hand. "All of a sudden Spring Fever hits and everybody's gotta pair up with everybody else! I can't stand it!"     "That's only because you don't have a girlfriend, Kento," Cye teased.     "Look who's talking," Kento shot back. "Anyway, as I was saying, I just hate how you're forced into the whole thing. It's like you have to find yourself a date and go or otherwise you feel like a big loser. It's such a pain."     "So who are you planning on asking then Kento?" Rowen asked with amusement.     Kento opened his mouth as if he were going to spit it out, but then thought better of it. "That's none of your business, Rowen. And anyway, who are you going to ask."     "Wouldn't you like to know?" Rowen said with a Cheshire grin.     Cye raised his eyebrows at both of them. They sounded almost like rivals for something. Did he miss what was going on? No, the heat of their argument couldn't possibly suggest they were both planning to...     "Hey, guys," Robyn called as she came up and plopped herself at the table. "Nobody talk to me because I've got a test next hour to study for, okay?" With that she promptly opened her book and began skimming through it as she gnawed on an apple. Cye noticed how both Kento and Rowen instantly got quiet when she arrived. Now both of them were glaring at the other, as if daring the other to be the first to say something.     "So... Robyn," Kento cleared his throat. "You going to that dance thing coming up?"     "Yup," Robyn replied, not looking up.     "You are?" Rowen asked as he and Kento both looked surprise at her reply.     "Yeah, Robyn's already got a date," Cye took the liberty to answer. "Unlike you two."     Kento looked incredulous at his best friend. "Cye, you're not - you didn't..."     "No, I didn't," Cye replied indignantly.     Rowen took another sip of his juice. "So who asked you then, Robyn?" Robyn cleared her throat and mumbled something under her breath. "Who?" "Hiroshi Yumi," Cye clarified.     "WHAT?!"     Rowen choked on his drink while Kento almost fell out of his chair in surprise. Robyn tried to ignore them during their display and attempted to hide behind her propped up schoolbook.     "That jerk?" Kento declared. "I can't believe you said 'yes', Robyn, after what he did to us!"     "Well, I couldn't be rude!" Robyn pulled her face away from her book to argue. "Besides, he was very apologetic about it. He's trying to make up for it and I would be the bad one if I didn't accept his offer."     "I don't see him trying to make up to me," Kento grumbled. Robyn huffed and went back to burring her face in her book.     A little while later Ryo approached their table with Sage in tow. The black-haired boy walked right up to Robyn and sat own next to her. His deep blue eyes were larger than normal as he just stared. Robyn finally lifted her head when she realized she was being watched. "What?" she demanded of Ryo.     "You're going to the prom with Hiroshi Yumi?" he asked in awe.     "FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" Robyn shoved her book down in frustration. "Yes, I'm going to the prom with Hiroshi! Are you guys all happy now? I know what kind of person he is, I know, okay? Besides, it's not like any of you guys were planning to ask me."     A few of the Ronins exchanged guilty glances while Robyn went back to her reading. A few minutes of silence was granted after that.     "You know, even though they broke up a week ago, Min's still going to be mad," Kento reflected.     Robyn said not a word as she slapped her book shut. She had quite an annoyed expression on her face as she packed up and moved away from the table.     "Hey, Robyn, where are you going?" Rowen called.     "To the library to get some quiet," Robyn shot back as she left.     The five boys looked at each other. Rowen looked like he was going to get up and go after her. But Kento shot him an expression that made him change his mind. So instead, the five boys returned to their lunches and ate quietly. 

***** 

    Sometime after school that day, Rowen found himself at the city library thumbing through rows of old books - a task he was no stranger to. He skimmed through several different titles, oblivious to everything else. While he was pulling out a few choice selections he was spotted by someone who didn't frequent the library quite as often as he. "Hey, Rowen," Cye greeted as he walked up the aisle.     "Hi." Rowen looked up momentarily before leafing through the book he had chosen. "What are you up to?"     "Oh, just gathering some information for my term paper," Cye said, holding a collection of books himself. "You?"     "I'm on a... sort of personal project, you might say."     "Why am I not surprised," Cye replied as he shifted his study materials in his arms. "Hey, I'm off to the restaurant to meet Kento and grab some chow, you want to come?"     Rowen took a moment to look thoughtful. "Sure, why not?"     Cye nodded to close the agreement. After the two young men checked out the books they had gathered they set off on foot for Kento's family restaurant. Rowen had his books packed away in his worn-out school bag with one of the straps missing while Cye carried the two books he took with him.     The duo walked on mostly in silence. Rowen snuck a sidelong glance at the shorter, rusty haired youth. Out of all the relationships throughout the Ronin group, he and Cye probably were the least closest. Even Kento and Sage, from all the arguments they got in, had a certain friendship with each other. When it came down to it, Rowen and Cye hardly knew each other outside of being fellow Ronins. Being alone together left them with nothing to talk about and made for a very quiet and awkward silence as they continued down the sidewalk together.     Rowen let out a loud breath and looked around. They were now entering an older part of the city. He suddenly paused as they happened by a street that seemed familiar. Cye looked up in surprise when he suddenly realized Rowen wasn't with him any more. He stopped and looked back, spotting the bearer of Strata located a few paces behind him. "Rowen, what are you doing?" Cye asked as he backtracked in his steps.     Rowen's eyebrows were knitted in concentration as he stared down the lane across the main road. His mind wandered back a few months ago to another time he was walking down this same sidewalk. He had been with Sage and Robyn that night. He could still remember just as clear as day the look on Robyn's face when she saw that street before she had run away from it.     "Cye," Rowen said, not wavering his gaze. "Do you know what's down that street?"     "THAT street?" Cye asked, looking more surprised than Rowen had expected him to. "Why that - that's my old neighborhood. Robyn's, too. We used to live next to each other. You can barely see them. That kind of brownish-grey one way back there was Robyn's and mine was on the other side of it."     Now it was Rowen's turn to look surprised. Only his milder expression was merely the lifting of his eyebrows at the revelation. "Really..." he mumbled, more to himself than anyone.     "Yes," Cye confirmed. He looked down the street with a puzzled expression. "How did you know to point out that street?"     "Mmm... I can smell Mama Faun's cooking from here. Come on, Cye! I'm starving!" Rowen was already to the corner, heading for the crosswalk by the time Cye turned around.     "Rowen!" he protested at being ignored. But the blue-haired youth didn't seem to be stopping for anything as he started across the road to the restaurant. Cye let out a deep breath before running after him. 

***** 

    "Oh, Robyn. Good, you're here," Mama Faun said as she opened the door to let the girl into her house. "I'm so glad you were able to baby-sit tonight." She paused to call up the stairs. "KENTO! RINFI! LET'S GO!"     Different shouts came from up stairs that they were coming and there were thumping sounds from above.     "Again, I apologize for the lateness of the hour," Mama Faun said as she turned back to Robyn. "And also for the short notice. We just got a call that Kento's aunt has been in a small accident. We're sure it's nothing too serious, but we're still going to go to Tokyo to see her anyway."     "It's fine, really," Robyn reassured her. "I totally understand. Don't worry about it."     Rinfi raced down stairs about that moment. "I can't find my coat!" he called in frustration as he stomped into the other room to search for it.     Mama Faun, for the most part, ignored him and continued her conversation. "We're taking the three oldest with us and you'll just have Chun Fa and Mei Ryu to look after. They've already had dinner and everything. We're not sure how long we will be staying. We might be staying over night. If that's the case, the kids can set you up in Chun Fa's room or feel free to sleep in one of the boys' rooms. I'm sure they won't mind."     Through all the instructions, Robyn just kept nodding. Though she had never baby-sat the Rei Faun kids before - she still pretty much knew the routine. She would have time to figure out all the details later.     "Ready!" Kento announced as he bounded down the stairs two at a time. Yunis followed behind him, walking normally.     "Good," Mama Faun nodded to him. "Get your father and we'll go."     "Right here," Mr. Rei Faun announced as he came in. Rinfi was right behind him, tugging on his newly found coat.     "Great, let's get everyone and get out of here. The kids are upstairs, Robyn. Thanks again for watching them."     "Good luck," Kento called as he was the last one out the door.     Robyn waved them off and then shut the door behind them. No sooner had she turned around then she saw a pouty looking Chun Fa standing by her feet with her little arms crossed. "I wanted Cye to come baby-sit," the little girl told her curtly.     "I'm sorry, honey," Robyn said, bending over with a patronizing tone. "But Cye has a big, important paper he has to write for school and couldn't come. Maybe next time, okay?"     "Okay," Chun Fa begrudgingly replied.     "Are you going to play games with us?" Mei Ryu asked critically from where he sat at the top of the staircase. "Cye always plays games with us."     "He's our favorite baby-sitter," Chun Fa chimed in. "He lets us do whatever we want."     "Yeah, and he lets us stay up and play and we don't have to go to bed until we want to!"     Robyn was not amused. She raised an eyebrow at the two impish children. She had a feeling this wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. 

***** 

    It was late when Kento and his family returned to Toyama - slightly after midnight. Mr. Rei Faun's sister had sustained no life-threatening injuries, but they were bad enough to keep her in the hospital for another day. They spent several hours there speaking with her and with other family members who had come until Kento's parents felt guilty about leaving their home and little ones for so long.     Kento leaned his face on his fist which was propped up with his elbow. The rumbling and swaying of the car as it passed by-now-familiar streets was lulling him to sleep. But he was still awake enough to hear his mother's fearful cry as the car pulled into the neighborhood. Kento was instantly at attention as the car halted to a very abrupt stop and his father swore under his breath.     Rinfi and Yunis were also wide awake now as they stared at the spectacle happening right outside their own front yard. The usually semi-dark street was lit up with lights from a small handful of police cars and two large fire trucks. Panic and fear filled their hearts as Kento's parents raced out of the car while Kento and his siblings scrambled to get out and follow.     Mr. Rei Faun was in the lead as he raced up to the house. His consolation was that the house looked in tact at first glance. "What happened?" he demanded of the nearest officer.     Upon seeing him and the rest of his worried family come up behind, the officer instantly surmised this was the owner of the house. "Now, there's nothing to worry about," the officer assured them. "There was a small fire and-"     "OH NO!" Mama Faun instantly exclaimed. "My babies! Are they all right?"     "They're fine, ma'am," the officer continued patiently. "They-"     "Mommy! Daddy!" A small girl bundled up in a heavy grey blanket ran towards them.     "My baby!" Mama Faun cried as Chun Fa ran into her arms.     Mei Ryu was at her heels, wearing only his pajamas in the chilly night air. "Dad! Dad! You should have seen it! There was this huge fire in our house! I'm going to tell Ryo about it! He loves fire! Man, it was so cool!" His father only nodded absently as he put his own coat around the boy.     "It was only a small fire," the officer insisted. "Your baby-sitter got the kids out of the house in time. The fire department arrived soon enough and was able to isolate the fire into only a slight portion of the house."     The parents looked relieved while Kento suddenly blinked in realization. While his mother and father continued to ask questions, Kento snuck off to wander amidst the mass of officers, firefighters, and parked cars. He found what he was looking for sitting in the back of the single ambulance that was there.     At first glance, Robyn looked okay. At least she didn't look hurt. She was wrapped in a heavy blanket that covered practically her whole body. Kento approached slowly, noticing the uncharacteristically blank look on her face. She held a steaming cup of hot chocolate in her hands which looked like it hadn't been touched. Robyn just continued to stare straight ahead.     "Hey," Kento greeted as he slowly approached her. Robyn didn't even notice. Her face was expressionless, but her wide eyes seemed to tell a different story. "Robyn?" Kento asked as he touched her shoulder. She slowly turned to look at him. "Are you going to be okay?" Kento took the cup from her hands and then sat next to her. That act seemed to shake her enough and Robyn finally nodded. "You didn't get burned or anything, did you?"     Robyn extended her arms from the blanket so Kento could see the bandages around them. "Only a little," she finally spoke. "It will heal in a few days."     "Hey, but you're a hero though," Kento grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "How does that feel?"     Robyn managed a small smile. "Good," she nodded.     Kento smiled back and put an arm around her. Robyn tiredly leaned her head on his shoulder. "The kids seemed to have fun," he chuckled.     Robyn snuggled up closer to him. "They'll be safe... now," she mumbled.     Kento didn't say anything, but he wasn't exactly sure what she meant by that. 

***** 

    Time passed on as it normally does. Kento and his family soon got past the fire encounter and went on with their lives. None of the officials could ever determine what started the fire in the first place. But it had been contained and the large multipurpose closest room was the only place that had really been affected.     "Just a lot of flammable junk all stacked together," Mama Faun said. She had been getting after her sons to clean up the room months before it happened.     Everything in the room had been burned up - plus some of the hall outside the door and also slight damage in the attic above the room. But nothing that hindered the living conditions of the Rei Faun Family and certainly nothing that couldn't be cleaned up within a few weeks.     The next night after the fire, Kento was taking his turn to read to Chun Fa and then tuck her into bed. "Well, that's it for tonight, Shorty," Kento announced as he closed the book with finality. "Time to go to sleep."     Chun Fa obediently snuggled under her covers and Kento tucked her in. He headed for the door and switched off the light; but first glancing down the hall at the burned room on the other end. The door had been completely ruined and so it was merely left as an eyesore to all who came upstairs until it could be fixed.     "I hope seeing the closet open doesn't bother you anymore," Kento commented. "We can't close it tonight. Would you like me to close your door instead?"     "No," Chun Fa said calmly. "Leave it open. It's not scary anymore."     "It's not?" Kento repeated. "What about the scary man in there?" His mother had conferred with him earlier about her visit with Chun Fa's teacher.     "He's not in there anymore," Chun Fa explained.     "Why? What happened? Did he get burned up?" Kento joked.     "No," the little girl said matter-of-factly. "Robyn told him to go away."     Kento's eyes widened in surprise at that revelation. The reply had caught him off-guard. Kento wasn't sure why, but it also left a small twinge of fear in his gut as he headed back down the stairs. 

***** 

    The house was - as usual - empty and silent; which made it all the more easier for Rowen to hear the thunder from an approaching storm. The blue-haired youth was nestled against a large beanbag on the floor. He had a glass half full of juice at one side and a pile of books on the other. Another book was propped up on his thighs as he read through it.     Another boom of thunder sounded from above and Rowen looked up in annoyance. To him, it wasn't the most welcome sound in the world - especially with the type of material he was researching at the moment. Cye probably would have been asking questions at the library if he ever bothered to notice the titles of the books Rowen had checked out.     Scattered all about him were books and documentaries on ghosts, hauntings, supernatural phenomenon, and so on. The book Rowen was currently looking at was about a married couple who went around searching for such things. The wife was claimed to have some kind of ESP capabilities and was able to sense when there was a strange presence in the room. Personally, Rowen thought the whole thing was bogus and was skimming through the book only half-heartedly.     He started reading through one case in which a house was claimed to be haunted by an evil spirit. It did the usual things found in most haunted houses: made noise, caused things to float and bang around. Rowen chuckled when the book said the apparition more than once tricked a member of the household into thinking the cat was talking and swearing at them.     The report went on to explain how the spirit seemed to be bent on disturbing the young, adopted child living there. So much to the extent that it chased her to a neighboring house when she attempted to get away. And it was then Rowen straightened in his seat as a certain concept jumped out at him. A single sentence mentioned that the young girl had been very unhappy in her current living situation and that it was often troubled children who invited demons into the home.     Rowen lightly underlined that part with a pencil and then tapped the eraser thoughtfully on his chin. He still didn't have a clue about all that was going on between his circle of friends. But slowly it was starting to piece itself together. 

***** 

    Cye trudged tiredly into the bathroom. It was unbelievably late - except if you were on Rowen's watch. But it was late for Cye. Everyone else had been in bed for a few hours now. Cye ran his fingers through his hair as he gazed at his fatigued expression in the mirror. This term paper was killing him. Why couldn't he have just left the college classes to Rowen and stuck with the easier ones his senior year?     The sound of a coming storm could be heard in the stillness of the house. Cye reached for his tooth brush and half heartedly set about brushing his teeth. Once done, he switched off the light and padded out into the dark hallway. Halfway to his room was a small table holding one of his mother's favorite vases with a fashionable mirror hanging on the wall above it.     Cye glanced in the mirror as he passed by and froze in his tracks with fear. A dark creature with burning red eyes was standing right behind him. Cye swore he heard it breathe his name as he spun around. The vase on the table was thrown off as his elbow hit it and shattered on the wooden floor. Cye paid it no mind as he searched the darkness wide-eyed, but nothing was there.     A familiar fear gripped his soul as sweat poured down his face. In an instant Cye was a child again; afraid of the dark and what lurked in the corners. He could almost hear the demon of his past laughing at him. But then all he could hear in the dark house was his heavy breathing, the stillness, and the thunder. 


	12. Chapter Twelve: Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Twelve 

"Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall"   
By Ghost of the Dawn 

Chapter Twelve - Stranger Than Fiction 

    The full moon was out that night; shedding its gentle rays on the never-sleeping city of Toyama. Off from the main lights and the noisy traffic, two figures sat in the moonlight. They were perched at the top of a large grey building with their legs dangling off the edge. Behind them was a giant tank of water in which a large killer whale swam lazily. He was long since used to his human visitors as they had been there many times before.     "It's been a long time since I've seen the moon that way," Robyn commented as she watched the sky. "All big and orange and bright like that."     "It's quite a sight," Cye agreed. He stopped looking at the moon and started gazing at Robyn's profile as a question burned in his mind. "Robyn, you've been acting really quiet and strange these past few days. Are you mad because none of us asked you to the prom?"     "Pfft, no," Robyn snorted automatically. "I don't care who I go with. It's not a big deal to me." Cye looked at her dubiously. "It's not!" Robyn insisted. "And what about you? You've been edgy all day, what's the deal? You can't possibly be that worried about breaking your mom's vase, can you?" Cye instantly looked away and wrapped his arms around himself as if it had suddenly gotten very cold. His breathing came out rapid and uneven and his eyes were unfocused, as if remembering a vision. "Cye?" Robyn asked in a worried tone. She slowly reached out to him.     "Robyn, what's going on?!" Cye suddenly snapped to life before Robyn could touch him.     Robyn jumped back when he yelled at her. "What are you talking about?"     "What's happening to us?" Cye continued, his voice shaking. "There's something out there, I can feel it. I've seen it! It's getting all of us!" The rusty-haired young man looked like he was going to cry. He lowered his head and hooked his hands behind his neck to cover it.     "Cye," Robyn said with more sympathy now. She leaned closer and put her arms around him. "It's okay," she whispered softly.     Cye lifted his head upon feeling her touch and looked into her eyes. His own were starting to water. "Please tell me that thing when we were children - that monster we saw. Please tell me that was just a bad dream. That I just made it up. I couldn't bear to go through it all over again."     Robyn pulled him closer and pressed her forehead against his temple. "It's time we talked," she said quietly. "About when we were kids, about America, about everything."     Cye nodded and put a hand on her arm for comfort. Robyn looked around and suddenly felt an unnerving chill about being in the open night air. "Back at the house," she decided. "We'll go home and talk about everything, okay?"     "Yes, that would be nice," Cye agreed as they stood.     Robyn smiled and they started for the stairs that led to the lower level of the marina and finally, out of the building and towards their house. They walked close together as they traveled down the empty sidewalk. It was late and there weren't many pedestrians out at this hour. A chilly breeze whipped past them and the two walked closer than they would normally. The place they were traveling through looked quiet and empty. Cye couldn't help but feel that something was wrong about this place. He stepped closer to Robyn and put a hand on her shoulder as they continued on. All the while he was looking around for anything that might give him cause for such alarm.     But it was Robyn who suddenly stopped short. Cye looked at her in surprise when she halted him by placing an arm in front of his chest. "What is it?" he asked.     Robyn didn't answer as she turned around. She moved in front of Cye as if to protect him from some attacker. Cye didn't even see it coming before it appeared.     Robyn was hit squarely by a tremendous force that seemed to come out of nowhere. A great weight pinned her to the sidewalk as large, razor-sharp claws slashed at her face. Robyn tried with all her might to fight the thing off, but it was too heavy.     Suddenly, the great object was knocked off her. Robyn scrambled to her feet, clutching the right side of her face while looking with her left good eye. The first and only thing she noticed was Cye, wresting with a large, black dog-like beast. The monster had huge snapping jaws, white burning eyes, and a mass that could have rivaled even White Blaze himself. Robyn watched dumbly as Cye, now dressed in a curious white and light blue armor, punched and kicked at the dog-like creature. The monster growled and snapped back savagely, trying to lock his jaws on his human attacker so he could tear him apart.     "CYE!" Robyn screamed.     The massive creature now had the bearer of Torrent pinned to the ground and it took all Cye's strength just to keep the thing's jaws from biting his head off.     "Robyn!" Cye managed to yell back as he fought for his life. "Run! Get out of here! Go get help! Find the others!"     "Cye, no!" Robyn cried. "I - I can't-"     "Get out of here!" Cye grimaced as the beast clamped its jaws on his arm. Luckily, the thin, yet durable armor wasn't about to give way to its teeth. "Get out of here, NOW!"     Robyn cast one more frightened look at her struggling friend and then fled. She cried as she ran faster than she had ever ran in her life. The tears streamed down her face, blocking her vision as she left the most important person in her life to his fate. Fear took over all her other thoughts and emotions as she ran away.     The city seemed like one big, dark, merciless mass. There wasn't anyone anywhere that could help her. It felt like the world had turned its back on her when she needed it the most. Where could she go? What could she do? Fate seemed to smile on her right then and there as she suddenly recognized the neighborhood she was in. With her last bit of energy, Robyn charged up the familiar porch and started banging on the door with all her might.     "Rowen! Rowen! Answer the door!" Robyn cried frantically as she pounded away. "It's me Rowen! Cye needs help! He's gonna die! Rowen!"     About that time, the door opened and a concerned-looking Rowen peered out. Robyn instantly flung herself into his arms and hugged him as tight as she could. Rowen was taken a bit off guard but managed the wrap his arms around her shaking frame. "Robyn, what are you doing here? What happened?" he asked.     "Rowen, I'm so scared!" Robyn sobbed into his sweater. "It's out there and it's got Cye! We have to help him!"     Rowen pulled her back away from him. The blood covering her face easily gave him cause to believe her. He grabbed her quaking shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Easy, Robyn, it's going to be okay," he said in a soothing voice. "Now slow down and tell me what happened." 

    A few minutes later, Sage let himself into the Hashiba house. Since he only lived a mere block away it was easy to get over to Rowen's place in no time. Rowen was already up and met him half way into the kitchen. "What's going on?" Sage instantly demanded, as Rowen's explanation on the phone wasn't all that clear.     "A creature attacked Cye. It was a big monster or something," Rowen tried to explain. "Kento and Ryo are heading down there right now to check it out."     "Was it some demon from the Nether Realm?" Sage asked in a hushed voice.     "I don't know where it's from," Rowen replied. "Come in here and look at Robyn." Sage obediently followed him back into the kitchen where Robyn was sitting at one of the chairs by the table with a wet towel over most of her face. She still looked a bit shook up from her ordeal and watched Sage with a wary eye. "Show him," Rowen ordered her without explanation.     Robyn glanced from him back to Sage again and then reluctantly removed the towel. Sage bit back any interjection that was threatening to voice itself when he saw the three deep gashes going from left to right diagonally down her face. Her right eye was already swollen shut.     The two Ronins looked at each other and Sage finally nodded, as if reaching an unspoken agreement. He pulled up a chair in front of Robyn and sat down in it, getting as close to her as possible.     "What are you doing?" Robyn asked in a shaky voice.     "Hold still," Sage said, using a calm, reassuring tone. "I'm going to help you." He reached out and Robyn flinched in pain when he touched her. Sage took the liberty of gently moving the hair away from the right side of her face. "Now close your eyes," Sage directed softly.     Robyn obeyed. She felt his hands on her wounds and then she felt an undescribable warmth flow over her. Her breath stopped in her chest as a curious sensation filled her senses. She could feel something - a life energy - flowing into her. She felt disembodied and yet, whole at the same time. For one fleeting instant she was somebody else and in that moment Robyn understood what it was like to be Sage Date.     Sage removed his hands and the sensation vanished. Robyn's recollection was instantly muddy as if the clarity she felt was now only remembered like a dream. She looked a bit stunned as her hand traveled up to her face. And when she found the skin whole again, she looked even more stunned.     "What - it's gone!" Robyn exclaimed. She jumped up and looked into the nearest mirror. "No scars, no nothing." She turned to look at the two young men, her face becoming a bit frightened. "What's going on?" she asked in a trembling voice.     Rowen stepped forward and was about to reply when the door opened and in stepped Ryo and Kento. The two didn't look in the best spirits and White Blaze was behind them. Robyn gawked at the odd looking metal suits of red and orange they were wearing.     "Find anything?" Sage asked as he stood.     The two shook their heads. "We went to the place you told us," Kento started to explain. "We didn't see anything. But the second we got there, White Blaze started going berserk. He sure could smell something. Unfortunately, he couldn't find any trail. It was like whatever it was just vanished."     "And Cye?" Rowen pressed.     "Well, there wasn't any blood," Ryo answered. "So wherever he is, he's still in one piece."     "But if I find whatever it was has hurt my buddy, they're going to pay," Kento growled as he punched his fist into his palm. "There's some people in this world you just don't mess with!"     The four Ronins' attention was diverted as Robyn stepped up and touched the form-fitting metal on Ryo's arm experimentally. "Cye was wearing something like this - light blue - when he was fighting that monster." She looked up into Ryo's eyes sadly. "It seems like all our lives have been built on secrets."     Robyn turned her head as Kento grabbed her arms from behind. "And it ends now," he told her. "Come sit down, Robyn, have we got a story for you." 

    "So you fought with this Evil Dynasty for the fate of our world," Robyn repeated after the story was done.     "Yes," Ryo, who had told most of it, nodded.     "Here, in Toyama."     "More or less."     "And no one remembers it?"     "Bingo."     "Holy collective amnesia, Batman!"     "Hey, are you calling us liars?" Kento suddenly jumped to the defense. "Despite anything Rowen might have told you, we didn't just pick these things up at a local garage sale."     Robyn looked around at all of them. "But why did you guys wait until now to tell me?"     "Um, because you didn't ask?" Kento floundered.     "Oh, yeah, Kento, like I go up to everyone I meet and say 'Hey, do you have a mystical armor you use to fight the forces of evil with? Because I was just wondering'."     "Your sarcasm is not helping," Rowen informed her.     Robyn sighed heavily and slumped further onto the couch. Ryo and Kento were stationed on either side of her while Rowen was perched on the armrest beside Kento. Next to him, Sage had pulled up a chair so they were all close together. The four Ronins looked to Robyn for her next reaction. Ryo's expression turned to one of amusement when Robyn grabbed his wrist and poked at the strange metal covering his palm.     "So, let me get this straight," Robyn said as she continued to inspect Ryo's hand and arm. "All five of you has your own set of this metal underwear..."     "Subarmor," Rowen corrected. "It's called subarmor, Robyn. It protects our bodies when we fight while still being light enough for us to move around freely."     "Yeah," Kento added. "And when we need to use the big guns we call on our real armor. It's got some serious killer powers and stuff."     "Powers?" Robyn tried to clarify. "You mean like magic?"     "Of course," Rowen said. "How else do you think Sage healed your face? It sure wasn't with vanishing cream."     "Har har, Rowen."     "You see," Ryo then explained. "We were given the armors to defend the mortal world. Each has their own mystical powers which they get from different elements. Like mine is-"     "Let me guess, it's fire," Robyn interrupted. "And Cye's has to be water."     Ryo grinned. "A little obvious, huh? My armor is Wildfire, Cye's is called the armor of Torrent. And this is Kento of Hardrock, Rowen of Strata, and Sage of Halo."     "Halo?" Robyn reiterated. "What are you saying? He gets his power from angels or something?"     "Light, Robyn," Sage suddenly decided to say something. "My element is light."     "Ah, that makes sense," Robyn agreed. She leaned her head on the couch and looked up at the ceiling.     "You're sure taking this pretty well," Rowen commented.     "Eh," Robyn shrugged. "I've heard stranger."     "Yeah, right," Kento challenged.     After that it went quiet and Robyn suddenly realized that everyone was watching her. "It's my turn to spill, huh?"     "If you don't mind," Rowen said with an accusing tone. Kento managed to elbow him in the ribs while still looking innocent.     Robyn sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. The thin tendrils of red were moved from her face and then instantly fell back over her eyes. Where to even begin?     "Well, I... that is, when I was - see, there was this..." There were so many different places to start. What was she supposed to say? "It's my fault, okay?" Robyn suddenly blurted out. "That thing that attacked us was after me. It's my fault Cye's gone."     There was a moment of stunned silence.     "I didn't mean to get you guys involved," Robyn continued in a quieter voice as she gazed down at her lap. "They followed me all the way over here. I... I didn't think they would."     "Wait, wait. Hold on," Ryo interrupted. "Who followed you? From where?"     Robyn took a deep breath. "A long time ago, there lived a very powerful and evil man. Much like your Dynasty Master, he wanted to control everything. His lust for power caused him to turn towards the dark magics to help him conquer. He let the powers of darkness consume him until he was no longer a mortal man. Soon, he was the very essence of evil itself. It was said his darkness had no boundaries and that he could raise the very spirits from the dead. He was given the title Nago, the Prince of Demons.     "His followers were known as Shadow Walkers. They were given strength from Nago to be his elite army and had the power to turn into giant monsters. They terrified the people for many years - destroying those who would not convert to the ways of his dark powers. In a frantic attempt, a group of holy men managed to spirit the Prince of Demons from this world. But they still feared him. So much so that they erased his name from history, fearing that even the simple utterance of his name would entice him to return.     "I first heard of Nago from a group of friends I knew back in the United States-"     "Woa, woa," Kento blurted. "Are you trying to say you got into a bunch of devil worshiping voodoo magic and didn't tell us?! I thought I knew you better than that!"     Robyn moaned into her hands. She hadn't meant for it to sound like that. Rowen, who was still perched up on the armrest, was in the perfect position to grab Kento up in a headlock.     "See? This is what you get for giving us crap about our armors," Rowen said as Kento struggled to get loose.     "Sorry," Robyn replied. "It wasn't like that, really. I had no idea what it was when they first told it to me. I thought it was just a story they made up." She lowered her head as her spirits took a suddenly dive.     Ryo put an armored hand on her shoulder to gain her attention. "So what happened?" he asked sincerely.     "I found out it wasn't just a story," Robyn said frankly. "There were these three kids. One of them was named Jason. We started going out together and that kind of stuff. And Rowen already met Derek." The other Ronins looked at him, but Rowen only nodded and expected Robyn to go on.     "Then there was another girl," Robyn continued. "They told me the story of Nago one day, but I didn't believe them. Not until they took me to meet an old man named Kortez. They said he was Nago's high priest, that he had been alive since Nago's banishment - the dark powers kept him alive. He was now master of the evil powers until Nago's return. And they needed my help to bring him back."     A hundred questions flooded into the minds of the Ronins at that point. But none of them were able to find their voice as Robyn stood and started pacing the room as she continued with her story. "I knew what kind of people these guys were even before this time. But the way my life was going then - no home, no family, no place to go - I just didn't care. These guys were all I had at that time and I wanted to do whatever they were doing.     "The weakness of Nago's power is that he cannot corrupt the innocent or the pure in heart. He cannot create followers, they have to follow him of their own will. Of course, the reward of their loyalty is also being able to wield the dark powers. And that was what my friends did. They became part of the Shadow Walkers. They gave up their souls for the power of Nago. I doubt they're even human anymore."     "So that thing that got Cye was one of them?" Kento asked.     Robyn nodded. "I'm pretty sure it was. According to Lord Kortez, it will take the power of four willing holders of the dark powers to bring Nago back. The trick is, finding people who will actually believe the story enough to submit to them. He already has three - I am the fourth."     "But, you said Nago's power can't possess those who aren't willing," Sage insisted. "You're obviously not wanting to go through with it, so what use do they have with you?"     At this question, Robyn retreated to the opposite wall and leaned against it. She lowered her head and whispered her reply. "Lord Kortez said my soul was already tainted by my past and... other things. He said... there was a darkness that followed me wherever I go and that I was chosen from birth for this part," Robyn closed her eyes and hugged herself tightly. She couldn't bear to look at her friends as she shamefully recalled the rest. "They forced me through the ceremony in which the evil powers would become a part of me and I would be one of them." Robyn paused, fighting off tears that were threatening to come. She was not going to cry in front of them. She wouldn't allow it. Robyn stubbornly swallowed her emotions and continued.     "For a moment I felt it. I felt that evil essence in me. I felt it in my very soul, sucking it dry of everything good inside me." Sage clenched his fists where he still sat. From the months of terrifying dreams, he understood well what that felt like.     "I don't know how, but I managed to get away before the ceremony could be complete. And from that second on, I just kept running. I ran across the state, across the country, and across the ocean to finally stopping here. I didn't think they'd follow me. The full powers of the Shadow Walkers comes on their eighteenth year. I guess after my birthday they could sense where I was. Like how I can sense that evil when it's close ever since that day."     The last sentence was barely a whisper as Robyn held herself tighter. If only Cye were here. He was the person she really needed to tell this to. He was the one that mattered more than anything to her.     Robyn looked up when she felt strong, steady hands on her shoulders. Deep blue eyes looked into her sad green ones. Ryo smiled comfortingly at her. The other three were standing right behind her. "It will be okay, Robyn," Ryo assured her. "We'll protect you and find Cye and then we'll beat these guys."     Robyn looked up in amazement at all four of them. They were willing to put their lives on the line to help her. She was so filled with gratitude she just wanted to hug them all. But she didn't dare. At the same time she suddenly felt so far away from them. They seemed too pure and good to her - more now than ever. She had brought this evil into their lives. If any of them got hurt, or worse, from this ordeal, it would be all her fault.     "Thank you," was all she could manage to say. 

***** 

    "Wake up time, sleeping beauty."     Cye was rudely brought back to consciousness by a gust of ice cold water. He sputtered and gasped as the chilly liquid bit into his skin. He shook out his hair and instantly regretted it. He could feel the large lump forming on the back of his head where he had been hit. The first thing about his predicament that he noticed was that he was in some sort of warehouse. His wrists were bound above his head by chains dangling from the ceiling.     Immediately after, Cye noticed the two teens staring dubiously at him. They both looked his age, perhaps slightly older. One was a girl with reddish brown hair and dark eyes. She was tall with a shapely body and quite beautiful facial features. The other was a stout young man with beady eyes and brown shaggy hair. He had a black eye that looked no more than a few days old.     "So, this is the guy that kicked your butt, Derek?" the girl asked as she eyed Cye up and down.     The young man shook his head. "Naw, he ain't it. It was somebody else."     "What do you mean?" another man stepped into the room. This one was taller, bulkier, and far more dangerous looking than the other two. He also looked older, with jet black hair and eyes so light blue they almost looked transparent. He had almost an animalistic air to him as he stalked up to the other two. "This guy put up quite a fight, even against me. How could it have not been him?" he demanded.     "I tell ya, Jason, it's not," Derek insisted. "It was some tall, blue-haired punk. Not this skinny little twerp. I told ya, Sheila," he then turned to the girl. "Everyone in Japan is like some kind of freaking ninja or something."     "And just who are you anyway?" Cye finally decided to speak up. "Why did you bring me here?"     "Woa, a Jap with an English accent," Derek taunted. "Crazy!"     "I don't know," Sheila purred as she stepped closer. "I think it's kind of sexy."     Cye tried to shy back as the strange girl reached out to run a finger down his armored chest. To Sheila's surprise, Jason's arm shot out and snatched her wrist. "Don't touch him," he ordered with a growl. "There's something not right about this guy. That suit just appeared on his body when I attacked him."     "YOU attacked me?" Cye sputtered. Jason turned and gave the bearer of Torrent a predatory grin. He ran his tongue over the sharp fangs protruding from his mouth. "You were that thing?" Cye whispered, incredulous.     "What is it?" came yet another voice. An older looking man - greying and wrinkled - dressed in strange clothes came down a dark stairway towards them. He had a dark, ornamented staff in his hands. "Did you get the girl?"     Jason stood stiff when the man arrived and turned to face him. "No, Lord Kortez, I didn't," he admitted. "This guy stopped me from being able to capture her. He seems to have some sort of powers of his own. See for yourself."     Kortez walked up to Cye with a curious expression on his face. The captured Ronin merely stared him down icily as the strange man looked him over. The ball in the end of his staff started to glow and he held it out towards Cye's chest. The subarmor instantly reacted, giving off a light of its own. Cye's captors stood back as his kanji of trust flared up on his forehead, causing them to shield their eyes. Only when the old man removed his staff did the light fade. The teens looked on in awe while the old man stared accusingly into Cye's ocean green eyes.     "What are you, boy?" he demanded in low tones.     "I'm not telling you anything," Cye growled back. "And whatever you're trying to do, my friends will find you and they will stop you."     "Geeze! You mean there are more of these guys out there?!" Derek exclaimed.     The old man was not intimidated. "We'll see," he responded. "Our business is not with you. We are just here for the girl. Tell us where she is and we will not bother you or your friends any further."     Cye couldn't hide the look of surprise on his face. They were after Robyn?! He narrowed his eyes at the old man. "You touch her, and I will kill you myself," he threatened.     Cye was instantly rewarded with a strong punch to the jaw. His head flung back from the impact and his vision instantly started swimming. "Watch what you say," Jason barked back at him. "We will do what we want. I'll drag her back here myself, and there's nothing you can do about it."     Cye made no other comment, but chose to brood quietly. But the threat remained clear on his face.     Lord Kortez made a sweeping motion for the three to follow him. The two young men instantly obeyed. The girl named Sheila stayed behind to give Cye a smile that sent shivers up his spine before following after them. "Yes, Lord Kortez?" Jason asked obediently once they were out of earshot from the captured Ronin.     "The capture of his boy changes nothing," Kortez said. "We still need that girl tonight. The spirits are at their strongest now. If we pass up his chance there may not be one for another lifetime. If that happens you will all lose your own powers and your spirits will no longer be able to exist in this world."     The trio all tensed as they were told of the possible fate that awaited them.     "You two," he motioned to Derek and Jason. "Go out there and find the girl. Bring her back at all costs. If anyone gets in your way, kill them. We cannot afford any more delays on Nago's coming." The two nodded. They looked once at each other and then raced off out of the building to destinations unknown.     "What shall I do, Lord Kortez?" Sheila asked.     "You will stay here and help me deal with this one until I know what powers we are up against."     Sheila looked back at the rusty-haired young man and grinned. "Fine by me. I wouldn't mind spending a bit more time with our guest. I don't suppose you could leave him to me after you're through with him. He's quite the catch. It would be a shame just to let him go."     The old man grunted at the request. Not often did he agree with Sheila's demented hobbies. But as long as she remained loyal to their cause he wasn't going to push the matter any. "Fine," he relented. "After I'm done with him, he's all yours."     "Excellent," Sheila grinned. "Did you hear that, sugar?" she asked as she sauntered up to the chained Ronin. "After Lord Kortez is done with you, you're all mine."     Cye tried to pull away from her touch as she reached out to run her finger lightly down his face. The bearer of Torrent could only guess at what she was planning and he didn't like the gleam in her eyes one bit. Cye hoped wherever his friends were, they would find him soon. 

***** 

    "We've got to get out there now!" Kento exclaimed as he stared at the city heatedly from the window. "Who knows what those dark magic crazies are doing to him! So what are we waiting for?"     "Easy, Kento," Rowen said. He still hadn't moved from his perch on the couch's arm rest. "First, it would probably be wise if we came up with a plan of attack. Right, Sage? Sage?"     Sage didn't seem to be in earshot. He was leaning against the wall next to Robyn. The two seemed to be having their own conversation. "So, do you think my nightmares could have been caused by that?" Sage was asking quietly of the girl next to him.     "From what you've told me about this sixth sense of yours, I think it's possible," Robyn replied, copying Sage's infamous pose of leaning against the wall with arms crossed. "You said they started when I came. It makes sense. I'm sorry it happened."     Sage openly sighed. "It's okay," he whispered.     Ryo, who was nearby, didn't say anything. He had heard the whole conversation and was busy meditating on his own dream. Was this what his dream was talking about? Could this battle end up being his last?     "Is anyone listening to me??" Kento demanded. "If no one's going to help me find Cye then I'm going to go out there and rescue him myself!"     "You're right, Kento," Ryo spoke. "We have to go save Cye, no matter what."     Kento nodded, though he couldn't help but notice the strange tone of reluctance in his leader's voice.     "Yes," Robyn agreed. "I'm not leaving Cye out there with those guys. I'm coming, too."     Rowen looked dubious at her determined expression. "You'll have to ask Ryo. He calls the shots."     Robyn turned to the dark haired youth who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts yet again. "Ryo, I'm coming with you guys," she announced. When he didn't respond, Robyn grabbed his shoulders to catch his attention. "Ryo, let me come with you."     The bearer of Wildfire was about to respond when the most sickening feeling of deja vu washed over him. Suddenly, it was no longer Robyn that was begging him to come along, but a darker-skinned girl with long raven hair and big, dark eyes. "Luna....?"     "What?" Robyn said, causing Ryo's hallucination to fade. "What language are you speaking, Ryo? I said I'm coming with you guys to find Cye."     She was taken off guard when Ryo forcefully grabbed her arms. "No," he ordered. "You are going to stay here where it's safe. I am not going to let you go out there!"     "I'm going, Ryo," Robyn said stubbornly. "You can't stop me, you know."     Ryo clenched his fists. Why did she have to be so stubborn? Why couldn't she understand? With a cry of angry frustration, Ryo turned and punched the wall. Then he stalked off into the kitchen. Robyn watched him go with wide eyes. That was a side of Ryo she hadn't seen before.     "Uh, what just happened?" she asked the room in general. "Who's Luna?"     "She was a girl we met in New York last year," Kento offered. "Her brother was killed by this crazy old guy who wanted to control our armors' power. I think Ryo had a thing for her. She begged him to let her come with us so she could avenge her brother. She ended up dying because of it. I guess... Ryo's afraid it's going to happen again."     Robyn sighed as she gazed towards the kitchen. A look of regret crossed her features. Nevertheless, she bit her lip and stepped into the kitchen. She found Ryo in front of the sink, leaning over it with palms pressed flat on the counter. He was still breathing heavily and staring out the small kitchen window with a pained expression on his face. "Ryo?" Robyn asked quietly as she walked up to him. "They just told me what happened."     "I know," Ryo sighed, clenching his fists on the table top. "I heard. I just - I don't want to lose you the same way."     "Ryo," Robyn said, grabbing his shoulders to make him look at her. "It's not going to happen. I can understand how you feel; now understand how I feel. Cye has done so much for me I could spend the rest of my life trying to pay him back and it still wouldn't be enough. Please let me be there for him."     Ryo stared into her hopeful eyes, his heart torn between two decisions. "All right," he relented.     "Good," came a voice in the doorway. It was Rowen. Kento and Sage were at his side. "So let's get out there and look for Cye." Ryo nodded.     "Guys, I'm going solo," Kento announced. "We can cover more ground if we split up and I don't want anyone holding me back when I find these guys."     "But Kento-" Ryo protested.     "Let him, Ryo," Sage interrupted. "He's right. If we stay together we'll be searching the city all night."     "Fine," Ryo conceded. "Robyn, you'll come with me and White Blaze. Rowen, I want you to stay with Sage."     "Oh, come on, Ryo," Rowen argued. "You don't have to baby me. It's been over a month since the surgery. I can hold my own."     "Still," Ryo insisted. "You never know what might happen. We're going against powers we know nothing about. We should play it safe."     "But-"     "Come on, Rowen," Sage said, cutting him off. "Let's just go find Cye."     "Finally!" Kento said as he started for the door. "Let's get moving!" The others followed him outside. Kento didn't even bother to wait for everyone before he took off running into the city to search for his friend.     Sage and Rowen watched him go before each pulled out a glowing orb from their pockets - one green, one dark blue. For a moment they were covered in a blinding light. When it was gone, Rowen and Sage were dressed in the same kind of armors Kento and Ryo were wearing; with these bearing their respective colors.     Robyn managed to raise an eyebrow at them. That was something she didn't see every day.     "We'll signal you if we find anything," Sage called before he and Rowen suddenly jumped higher than was thought to be humanly possible. Robyn watched in awe as they rebounded off the sides of buildings before reaching the rooftops and then proceeding on their way from there.     "Holy smokes..." she murmured to herself. "What have I stumbled into?"     "Want a ride?"     Robyn turned to see Ryo now perched on top of White Blaze's back. Robyn gawked at him. "You can ride him?"     "Sure, it's faster than running," Ryo grinned, offering her an arm. Robyn allowed him to help her up on the tiger behind him. "Now pick a direction," Ryo said. "You said you can sense them, right?"     Robyn looked at the city around them. So many places they could be... "That way."     No sooner had she pointed, than White Blaze lurched in that direction. Robyn had to quickly hold onto Ryo's waist or risk falling off. "Hold on tight," Ryo grinned, responding to the young girl now clinging to him.     Robyn smirked at him. Then she turned her attention to the dark, vast city around them. _Hang on, Cye, we'll find you... _

***** 

    Cye was still doing his best to put on a brave face, even though on the inside he was quite afraid. That strange girl Sheila had been ordered to keep her distance for a while. That was one good thing. But the old man had been meditating in front of him for the last ten minutes. Needless to say, it made him very nervous. Cye almost jumped when the old priest finally moved.     "Now boy," Kortez said as he stood. "We will see what you really are." He once again raised his staff to Cye's armor, but this time, the staff itself started glowing. Sheila was instantly behind him. She wasn't going to miss this. Kortez closed his eyes and concentrated.     "Oh dark spirits," he chanted. "Show us the powers of those who are coming against us. Show your servants what we are to confront."     Cye closed his eyes as his sub armor grew bright again. The two servants of darkness stood back as an awesome light show displayed itself before them. An image projected itself as if on a movie screen between them and the captured Ronin. The place was filled with a loud roaring as the vission showed huge crashing waves. "The ocean?" Sheila wondered out loud.     The powerful, crashing water made way for a figure clad in light blue armor, wielding a tall staff as the very fury of the planet's most violent waves were at his command. The water dissolved to show another figure in orange armor which bore the strength of the mountains and which caused the very planet to shudder in his wake. Next appeared a warrior in deep blue armor whose arrows could fly clear to the heavens where the stars burned to give him power. Outshining the dark blue warrior came a warrior of light. He was dressed in green and wielded a great blade which called forth and harnessed the terrible lightning and brought his strength from all the majestic creatures on Earth.     The warrior of light faded away and a figure in red armor stepped forth with the anger of the mighty volcanos at his fingertips. The four other powers shown previous suddenly pounced on the fifth and the fire grew higher and brighter. So much that those watching thought the apparition would reach out and burn them. In the very brightest part of the fire stood an imposing figure in white and then the entire vission disappeared.     Sheila blinked in confusion in the sudden darkness. "What does this mean?" she finally asked.     Kortez did not look happy. "This is very bad," he said, turning away.     Sheila was quick to follow his retreat. "What is it?" she demanded. "What's going on?"     The old man did not pause until he was out of earshot of the still-stunned Ronin. "It is written in the books of time that only the fires of virtue can completely defeat the Prince of Demons. These five we have seen, with their powers combined, very well might be able to stop us." He suddenly whirled around and glared at Cye. "We must get rid of them before they get us," he announced loud enough for everyone to hear.     Cye stiffened as the old man started for him with purpose in his stride. Kortez did not hesitate as he reached out to Cye's chest. Cye barely had time to protest before his world was suddenly invaded by a searing white light followed by an intense pain. 

***** 

"White Blaze, stop," Ryo suddenly ordered.     "What is it?" Robyn wondered as the great tiger they were riding on paused in his tracks. Ryo dismounted and stared with wide eyes at the dark sky. "What's happening?" Robyn asked again.     And then she heard it - more with her senses than really her ears. The sound of ultimate suffering. The sound of a soul in unmeasurable pain.     "Cye..." 

***** 

    Sheila plugged her ears in a vain attempt to block out the cries of the suffering occurring not ten feet away from her. The noise he made didn't even sound human any more as Kortez stretched his hand right through his being to the very heart of him.     Cye had never experienced such pain before in his life. Not even in the depths of Talpa's castle where he was tortured for hours on end did it hurt this much. That was just a physical pain. This was much worse. He could feel the claws ripping and tearing his very soul from his body until the light inside him was no longer there.     Kortez smiled to himself as he retracted his fist from his victim and Cye's body went limp. The old priest opened his hand to find a small, light blue orb glowing in the middle of it. The sub armor that once covered the young warrior's body was now replaced with his usual street clothes. Kortez paid him no mind. This boy's power was his now.     "You done with him yet?" Sheila said impatiently.     Kortez glared at her. "Yes, he's of no consequence any more. Do whatever you like with him."     Sheila grinned as she approached the pale, lifeless body still hanging from the chains that bound it. This was going to be fun.     Kortez grumbled under his breath as he walked away. If he didn't need that girl to bring back Nago he would have gotten rid of her. She never could keep her mind on what was most important.     "Lord Kortez," Sheila called to him.     "What is it now?" he growled with fading tolerance.     Sheila looked up from where she was pressing two fingers to Cye's throat. "There's no pulse. He - he's dead..." 


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Facing Fears

"Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall"   
By Ghost of the Dawn 

Chapter Thirteen - Facing Fears 

    The night went silent once again. Only this time, it seemed far more empty than before. Robyn didn't dare make a sound as she slid off White Blaze's back to stand next to Ryo. The bearer of Wildfire didn't move as he gazed at the dark sky. He said nothing, but the fear was evident on his face.     He stood there, still as a statue in the middle of the street. His eyes resembled that of a lost little boy's as Ryo contemplated the sudden emptiness inside him. It was gone. There was a piece of himself that suddenly felt like it was missing. What happened?     "Ryo?" Robyn asked in a hushed voice. She grasped his arm, suddenly feeling so lonely. Why? Ryo was brought out of his stupor when he felt Robyn clinging to him. "What was that?" Robyn whispered. "Something's happened to Cye, hasn't it?"     Ryo put a hand on her shoulder, but continued to look in the direction he sensed his friend was in. "I don't know," Ryo admitted. He finally turned his face to look at Robyn. He immediately saw the desperate pleading in her fearful eyes.     "Don't worry," Ryo tried to assure her. Though truthfully, he didn't feel all that sure himself. "Cye's going to be okay. And we're going to find him. Come on."     Ryo hopped back on the large tiger and pulled Robyn up with him. At least they had a direction now. "Let's go, White Blaze!"     The great tiger leapt gracefully in the air and ran full speed for their destination. 

***** 

    Kento couldn't help but tremble as the terrible cries he had heard died down. It was Cye, he knew it was. The aching in his chest - that pain and emptiness he felt in his soul - couldn't have been anything else. Kento clenched his fists until they trembled. Something had happened to Cye and he would personally see to it that everyone responsible would pay dearly for it.     But the Warrior of Strength was not able to meditate on the fate of his enemies for long. He never even saw what was coming before a heavy force crashed into him, sending a very stunned Kento flying several yards across the street. 

***** 

    Kortez inspected the limp body still hanging lifelessly from its bonds. The glowing blue orb in his hand flickered impatiently, as if irate that it had been torn from its usual resting place.     "You killed him!" Sheila accused. "Why did you do that? He's no fun if he's dead!"     The old priest just furrowed his brow, ignoring Sheila's whining. "I did not expect him to be so thoroughly connected with his power. It seemed to be a part of his very soul. Interesting. Where did a boy like this possibly get this kind of power?"     "So what do we do with the body?" Sheila then wanted to know.     Kortez closed his fist over the glowing blue orb. "Get rid of it." 

***** 

    Kento picked himself up from where he had been thrown. The look on his face told he was not a happy camper. Before him snarled a shaggy, dog-like beast. "Ah, so ya wanna play it rough, huh Fido?" Kento said, undaunted by the monster's appearance. "Well, take this! Armor of Hardr- OOF!"     The creature proved to be faster than Kento could speak and he found himself pinned down by the monster's large claws while it breathed foul, evil air into his face. "Oh, nasty!" Kento complained as he moved his head from side to side in a fruitless attempt to escape the heavy dog breath. "Get OFF me!"     Punching an armored foot as hard as he could into the creature's stomach, Kento punted it into the air. Unfortunately for him, the demon animal had remarkable reflexes. Faster than Kento could get to his feet, the dog-like thing landed on its own claws and launched itself right back at its attacker. There was no way Kento could keep up with the creature's speed as it clamped its jaws tightly on his arm. With the flick of a massive head, Kento was flung into the nearest building. The impact itself was strong enough to leave a rough imprint of the warrior's body when he hit.     The creature stood ready to pounce again, growling as Kento fell to his hands and knees. But not even the demonic animal could hide its surprise when Kento easily picked himself up and dusted off his armor.     "You're going to have to do better than that if you're going to get rid of me," Kento informed it with a confident smile. "You may have been able to get my friend, but now, Scooby-Doo, you face Kento of Hardrock, and you're going to get dusted!"     Directly following his speech, Kento proved to be no slouch himself when it came to speed. Charging the creature, Kento's fist collided solidly with its ribs. It gave a pained yelp as it was knocked a few feet down the sidewalk. Before the monster could recover, Kento was on top of it, wrapping his strong arms around the creature's thick neck. It tried to struggle free but Kento wasn't about to loosen the death grip he had on its throat.     "That's it!" the creature growled.     Kento almost lost his hold in surprise when it spoke. "What did you say?!"     A thick cloud of black smoke came out of nowhere and swallowed them both. The monster in his grasp suddenly disappeared and the next thing Kento knew, he was in some large warehouse with his wrists shackled by thick chains hanging from the ceiling.     "What the...?" was the only thing he could think to say when he found himself in his new position.     "Geeze, tear my head off, why don'cha?!" came an indignant cry. Kento looked down to see an irked young man with shaggy brown hair rubbing his sore neck.     "What are you doing back here?" An old man in strange garments walked up to the youth. "I told you to kill anyone that got in your way."     "I tried!" Derek insisted. "I barely managed to get back here in one piece! That guy's got some kind of super strength or something!"     "Fine," Kortez breathed out heavily in irritation. "You can help Sheila get rid of the other one."     Both young men looked over to where Sheila was unchaining a limp form. Kento's heart jumped up in his throat when the body was freed and it fell lifelessly to the ground with a dull thud. "Cye?" Kento called in a scared voice. "Cye? Can you hear me?"     "I'm afraid he can't," Kortez scoffed with a haughty grin. "Your friend seems to have met an untimely demise. Such a pity."     "No," Kento whispered through clenched teeth. It couldn't be true. Cye wasn't dead. He couldn't be. Not his best friend. "Cye..."     "But don't worry," Kortez continued. "When Nago comes he will make sure you and all your friends will join him."     Kento clenched his fists as his grief was replaced by an intense rage. "YOU BASTARDS!!" Kento screamed at them. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HIM!! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!!"     "Yeah, right," Derek snorted calmly. "I'd like to see you try."     Kento growled as he grabbed the chains holding his wrists and tugged on them with all his might. There was a horrible bending sound and whining of metal. Sheila screamed as the frame of the building itself began to bend and beams and large pieces of the roof came crashing down over them. "He's going to bring the building down on top of us!"     But Kortez would have none of that. He stretched forth his hand to the outraged warrior and Kento cried out as he felt a piece of himself being ripped from him. There was a great light as out of his chest came a glowing orange orb. Once it was removed from him, Kento's body went limp and his subarmor vanished, leaving him dressed in his regular clothes.     Kortez smiled to himself as the orange orb floated to his open palm. "Hmm, that was sure easier than the last time," he mused at the new addition to his collection. His expression instantly changed to annoyance when he saw his two minions still standing around stupidly.     "I said to get rid of that body," Kortez ordered. "I don't want to see it here any more!"     Sheila and Derek wordlessly hurried to comply, draping one of Cye's arms around each of their shoulders and then dragging the body away.     Kento, who was barely conscious, fought to regain his strength. But in truth, he now felt as weak as a newborn kitten. He watched helplessly as his friend was toted away to some place where Kento would probably never see him again. A solitary tear ran down the slope of his cheek.     "Cye..." 

***** 

    White Blaze was clipping along through the city at a fast pace when he suddenly stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air. "White Blaze?" Ryo asked. "What is it, boy?"     The tiger's glowing eyes picked up movement in an alley and he growled. Ryo followed his gaze and stared hard to into the darkness, trying to discover what his friend already knew. A figure stepped out into the moonlight. A young man with jet-black hair and piercing ice blue eyes.     At first, Ryo looked at him in confusion while White Blaze continued to growl. When Robyn saw him, she gasped and clutched Ryo's arm so tight he could feel it through his sub armor. "Jason..." Robyn whispered.     The young man grinned evilly. "I've been looking all over the place for you," he told her.     Ryo narrowed his eyes at him. So this was the guy Robyn had told him about. He was a lot bigger than Ryo had expected. His bulk was roughly the size of Kento's with Rowen's height. A deadly combination if Ryo wasn't careful. Nevertheless, Ryo dismounted his tiger and stood to face his new opponent. "Where's my friend?" he demanded.     "If you can beat me, I'll tell you," Jason smirked back. "I know that you possess some kind of power. I want to see it before I kill you."     "Whatever," Ryo shot back. "You're hardly a challenge for me the way I am now. What makes you think you'll beat me?"     The self-confident smirk never left Jason's face. He looked past the red Ronin to the girl sitting on the tiger's back. He stretched out his palm and a ball of black energy shot out towards them. Robyn screamed and hung on tight to White Blaze as the large tiger narrowly jumped out of the way. Ryo looked on with wide eyes at the gaping hole in a nearby building the blast left.     "Now," Jason made a beckoning motion to Ryo. "Show me."     Ryo clenched his fists. This guy was not going to get away with threatening his friends. "You want it, you got it. ARMOR OF WILDFIRE! DAO JIN!" In a burst of light, Ryo's body was covered with a heavy red armor. A helmet appeared in his hand and he slid it on. Jason looked more than a bit surprised at the unexpected display and stepped back as Ryo expertly removed his katanas from his back.     "Now," Ryo said as he crossed the blades in the fighting position. "Take your best shot."     Jason quickly covered from his initial shock and grinned. "Gladly." He looked over at Robyn. "I'll get you as soon as I'm done with him."     Ryo stepped between them defiantly. "White Blaze, get Robyn out of here. Keep her safe."     "But Ryo, I don't - ah!" Robyn couldn't finish her protest as White Blaze bounded away from the scene. She had to cling tightly to the tiger's thick fur to keep from falling off. Feeling completely helpless, all Robyn could do was gaze regretfully behind her as she left her friend to his fate. He was doing this for her. _Please stay safe, Ryo..._

***** 

    "I don't know if I like this," Sheila said to Derek as they dragged Cye's body by the arms to the edge of the dock. "I mean, throwing him in the bay, isn't that kind of obvious?"     "And what if it is?" Derek countered. "No one's going to care after tonight anyway, right?"     Sheila shrugged. "True."     The two rolled the body into the cold, dark water and then turned without giving it a second thought. If they would have stayed, they might have noticed the lifeless figure only floated on the surface for a moment. After a few seconds, the body strangely started to sink deeper into the murky waters. Various creatures passing by stopped to watch as the figure fell gracefully through their world to at last rest on the sandy bottom. The wide-eyed fish gathering about him could only wonder if this was just another visit to the wet world he so loved, or if this was his final resting place. 

***** 

    Kortez looked up from where he was meditating on his newly acquired armor orbs when his two followers returned. "Back so soon?"     "We just dumped him in the water out back," Sheila explained.     "And now," Derek announced. "You might be interested to know, after that little display earlier, I think that the others know where we are. The rest of them are heading for us and I doubt Jason is going to be able to stop them all at once."     "I realize this," Kortez said as he remained sitting on the floor. "And I think I have just figured out how to use these new powers to our advantage. Observe." He held out the Torrent and Hardrock orbs in his open palms and concentrated. The orbs levitated for a moment, then suddenly took off like a rocket out the nearest window.     "Woa, where are they going?" Derek wondered.     Kortez smiled. "To meet our enemies." 

***** 

    Rowen and Sage raced and jumped from building top to building top as fast as they were able. Neither could stop the anxiety growing inside them the further they went. They knew where they could find Cye now and in the pit of their stomachs, they also knew that something was very wrong. The blind search had now turned to into a race against time to see if the heroes could get to their friend before they no longer had a friend to save.     Two balls of light, looking very much like shooting stars, crashed in front of the them and blocked their path. Sage and Rowen halted in their tracks as the glowing spheres formed into two very familiar looking armors.     The bearers of Halo and Strata didn't know what to do as the armors of Torrent and Hardrock stood menacingly before them. "Kento? Cye?" Rowen wondered out loud. "Boy are we glad to-" Rowen was cut off as the armor of Torrent took a swipe at them with its staff, causing the Ronins to jump back.     "Watch out," Sage warned. "Look at them Rowen. The armors are empty."     The duo was forced to retreat another step as the armor of Hardrock started for them as well. "But why are they attacking us? Did they forget who we are?"     Rowen and Sage jumped back to the building behind them as the two armors attacked at once. "You forget, Rowen," Sage told him. "The armors are neither good nor evil. They follow the will of whoever owns them."     "Right," Rowen sighed. "So I guess we gotta fight them then. Ready?" Sage nodded. "ARMOR OF STRATA! DAO INOCHI!"     "ARMOR OF HALO! DAO CHI!"     As soon as they had armored up, the enemy armors had joined them on the roof. Torrent wasted no time in trying to skewer Sage while Rowen fired an arrow at the Hardrock armor - which only bounced off and didn't even slow the thing down.     "Man, it's like fighting ourselves," Sage said as he ducked and dodged and blocked Torrent's attacks.     "Yeah, only we don't have to worry about hurting anybody," Rowen reminded him as he nailed Torrent in the side with the point of his bow. "So don't be afraid to turn on the juice if necessary."     "You can bet it's not afraid either," Sage pointed to the Hardrock armor which was now going through the familiar motions of the Iron Rock Crusher.     "Oh, crap," Rowen breathed in the spare second he had before the surekill hit.     The two Ronins braced themselves for the impact. The roof top trembled and shook and ultimately began to crumble beneath their feet. Rowen was flat on his stomach, able to avoid most of the attack. Sage, however, was not so lucky. The mighty quaking caused him to loose his balance and he stumbled off the building with the piece of the roof he was standing on.     "SAGE!" Rowen was on his feet and dove head-first after his friend without a hair of hesitation. He was able to catch up with Sage's falling form and put his arms around his waist. "Don't worry, I got'cha," Rowen informed him.     "Yeah, but who's got you?" Rowen closed his eyes and in a burst of wind a bubble formed around the two which stopped them from plummeting to their deaths. "Woo, neat trick, Rowen. Do you do birthday parties, too?"     Rowen glared at his friend as he released his hold. "You sure pick the worst times to develop a sense of humor, Sage."     "Oh, look. There's Cye's armor again," Sage pointed to a nearby rooftop. "And it looks like it's doing the - oh no."     Rowen hesitated no longer before moving their small bubble out of there fast. Sage had to hold onto Rowen's shoulders or be thrown against the bubble's wall as the two narrowly missed the Super Wave Smasher. Leaving the possessed armors behind, the Ronins continued their search by air.     "You know, Rowen, we probably could have saved a lot of time by traveling around this way in the first place," Sage pointed out.     "Yeah, yeah. Just make sure you don't pop my bubble with that stupid sword of yours." 

***** 

    "Okay," Ryo said as he sized up his unarmored, unarmed opponent. "So how do you suppose you're going to beat me now?"     Jason smiled, undaunted by his enemy's display of weaponry. "You'll see." He suddenly bent over and clutched his stomach as his muscles started to bulge. Ryo stepped back as coarse, black fur began to grow all over the human body. The figure changed slowly into a more dog-like creature. And when he was done, his slanted eyes glowed red as he growled.     Ryo readied himself as the demon beast charged and launched himself at him. Ryo proved to be just as fast by sidestepping the attack and slicing at the creature's ear. He growled in outrage and shook his head at the new pain he felt. "You're going to have to do better than that," Ryo challenged, ready again for the next attack.     "Fine," a human voice snarled from the animal's mouth. He howled as he started morphing again; changing into something a bit more humanistic, but still quite beastly. Jason now stood on his hind legs, still covered with the thick black wolves' hair. His muzzle was pushed in a bit - more like a bear's now - and his massive shoulders still rippled with untold strength. The creature drew his claws together and fired a black energy ball twice as large and powerful than the first. Ryo had to dive to get out the of the way, but landed unscathed.     "I've already seen that trick before," Ryo taunted as he got back to his feet. "Now watch mine." He expertly connected the hilts of his swords together and jumped into the air. "FLAAAAARE UUUUUUP NOW!"     Taken by complete surprise at the power his opponent had, the creature caught the brunt of Ryo's attack. Responding with a burst of energy to shield himself, it soon proved to be no match for Wildfire's power. He was sent flying several feet before he collided with the ground, smoke rising from his charred fur.     "And that was just a sample," Ryo continued as he walked up to the downed demon. "I could have killed you if I used my full power, but I'm not going to do that."     Jason glared at him from the ground. "That," he growled. "You will live to regret. I swear it! I was sent here to kill all that stood in my way and I will."     "We'll see about that," Ryo retorted. "Now tell me where you're keeping my friend - or do you want me to toast you some more?"     The Shadow Walker just grinned as a black smoke formed around both of them. Before Ryo knew what was happening, he felt his swords disappear from his hands. Then somehow he ended up with his wrists bound above his head. And when the smoke cleared, he was somewhere else altogether. He appeared to now be in some warehouse. But how? There was a young man Ryo had never seen, standing before him with Ryo's swords in his hands.     "Now these are some fancy weapons," Derek praised as he gave a few practice swings with the Wildfire swords.     "And let me guess, Derek," Sheila said, coming up behind him. "This guy wasn't the one who beat you up either. I'm beginning to think you just made him up and beat the crap out of yourself to get attention."     "Shut up, Sheila!"     "Both of you shut up!" Jason ordered. The larger man was now back in his human form. However, his face, clothes, and skin still bore record over what had transpired during his last battle.     "I see you couldn't beat them either, Jason," Kortez said as he approached. He paused to inspect Ryo's armor. "So this is what happens when you call on your powers. Well, don't worry, you won't have to wear that heavy armor much longer. It will soon be mine."     "You won't get it that easily," Ryo growled back.     "Oh, really?" Kortez shot back. "Ask your friend how easily I took his."     Ryo followed his gaze and finally noticed the other body chained the same as his. "Kento?" Ryo asked, staring at his street clothes. "They CAN take our armors? Where's Cye? Did they get his, too?"     Kento fought to stand up straight, but he was still too weak from losing his armor to move much. "Ryo," Kento said sadly. "Cye's dead."     "WHAT?!" 

***** 

    "It seems Ryo didn't get any farther than we did," Sage observed as he noticed the familiar glare of Ryo's sure kill a few blocks over.     "I'll get us down there and see if he needs our help," Rowen nodded. Rowen brought down the large Strata bubble and steered it towards the place they supposed Ryo to be.     "Wait a minute, hold on," Sage said, noticing something on the street about twenty feet below them.     "What do you see-"     POP!     Rowen gave a startled cry when Sage popped the bubble with his no-datchi and the two were no longer suspended in the air. Sage landed neatly on his feet, but his surprised companion wasn't as lucky. Rowen managed to land feet first, but then fell over on his face. He looked up just in time to see a large, white creature come charging straight for him only to stop inches from his nose. "White Blaze?" Rowen wondered.     White Blaze screamed. No wait, it was the person riding White Blaze that had screamed. "What are they?" Robyn cried. "Quick White Blaze! Run!"     "It's okay Robyn, it's us," Sage said, putting a hand on the tiger's thick neck.     Robyn blinked in surprise at the green-clad warrior. "Sage?" She looked down at the figure in dark blue on the ground. "Rowen?"     "More or less," Rowen grumbled as he got up. He was already making secret plans to bury Sage's sword out in the woods when this battle was over.     "Oh, am I glad to see you guys," Robyn breathed, putting a hand on Sage's arm. "We ran into Jason. Ryo's back there fighting him."     Both Ronins were at attention then. Sage looked her in the face. "Show us where they are." 

***** 

    "I don't believe it," Ryo whispered, incredulous. "It's not true Kento.You don't know for sure-"     "Yes, I do Ryo," Kento responded. This time with a bit more energy. "I saw him. He - he's gone."     Ryo closed his eyes and clenched his fists as grief overtook him. Deep inside, he knew from the beginning Cye was gone. That sudden emptiness inside him told him right off and he had refused to believe it. But now he couldn't deny the truth any longer.     "You know, these powers of yours are really quite interesting," Kortez said, inspecting the light blue armor orb between his fingers. "I've never come across anything like it before. Usually the force behind a power is either from the light or the dark side of magic. But this - a power that is neither good nor evil - is quite extraordinary. It makes one wonder how boys such as yourselves got a hold of them. No matter, we'll see what His Majesty, Lord Nago can do with them once he comes."     "That's not going to happen!" Ryo announced with confidence. "We were given those powers to protect this world and we will! You can never possess what they are!"     "Well, I've got two of them already," Kortez begged to differ. "And now I have a third."     He put out his hand and Ryo's orb pulled easily from his body. Much easier than it had been for Kento. And also unlike Kento, Ryo didn't feel any loss of strength when his powers were removed. Though it suddenly felt like all his body heat was sucked from him and Ryo shivered as his clothes replaced his armor.     "Hmm, I'm getting better at this," Kortez mused. "So unfortunate for your friend - he had to be the guinea pig."     So that's what happened. Ryo quietly promised himself they wouldn't get away with what they had done.     "I think you're forgetting that we're still short a fourth person," Jason announced to the old priest.     "Yeah," Derek added. "Losing my soul prematurely isn't exactly on my 'to do' list, ya know?"     "I doubt Nago's going to be real happy about it either," Sheila added sarcastically.     "There's still two more of those guys out there," Jason continued. "At the rate we're going, we'll be lucky to get her before sunrise."     "Yes, we are limited on time," the old priest nodded. "I will see what I can do." No one followed him as he moved into a smaller room and shut the door behind him. The secluded place was dark; save for the few burning candles situated in a circle at the middle of the room. They were surrounding a black, hideous statue - gargoylesque in form with wild eyes and sharp fangs.     Kortez knelt before the two-foot statue and bowed low. "Lord Nago, Prince of Demons, master of the dark magics; your loyal servant needs your help. I have traveled long distances, across oceans to do your bidding. I have done all that I can with this mortal body and I fear it is not enough. There are still two out there who possess great powers. I cannot defeat them alone. Please aid me that we might be victorious and that you may, at last, come back to this world to conquer."     The flames of the many candles flickered as a sudden breeze sprung up in the enclosed room. The eyes of the ghastly statue glowed red as a deep, unearthly voice made itself known. "You have done well, Kortez," the spirit of Nago spoke. "But do not concern yourself with the warriors' power. I have seen who and what they are. They serve no use for us. Get rid of them."     "But Lord Nago, their power is immeasurable," Kortez argued. "We can-"     "These powers will not help us. You do not understand. Their purpose is not ours. Again, get rid of them."     "Yes, Lord," Nago bowed, but inwardly had no intention of fulfilling the order.     "As for the girl," Nago continued. "I will bring her to you." With that, the eyes of the statue went dull and the dark object started smoking. A thick, black cloud filled the room and started seeping out through the cracks in the wall. Like a great, dark hand, it gathered outside and began its journey towards the city. 

***** 

"Without a doubt, Ryo was definitely here and fighting somebody," Rowen said as he observed the burn marks covering that section of the city. 

    "Yes," Sage added. "But the question is, who won? And where are they now?"     Robyn was still sitting on White Blaze's back as she looked the city over. She didn't have a clue what happened. But the sinking feeling in her stomach told her it wasn't anything good. White Blaze's muscles tensed beneath her and he roared at the sky. This brought the attention of both Ronins.     "What is it White Blaze?" Sage wondered.     His answer came as a most sickeningly, frighteningly familiar feeling filled his soul. Rowen looked up when Sage's sword fell from his fingers and clanked noisily on the ground.     "No."     The whispered plea barely escaped his mouth before Sage found his world swallowed by the same darkness that had haunted his nightmares for so long. Just when he thought he had gotten rid of it; just when he was starting to think it was over. He should have known it would never stay away for long. Now it was coming back for him - to finish what it had started.     "Sage, snap out of it," Rowen ordered as he shook him.     Sage blinked as the city and his friends returned around him. "It's coming," he whispered fearfully. "It's coming back to get me."     Rowen looked confused. "What is?"     White Blaze roared again and everyone looked to the sky. A thick, gluttonous mass was headed straight for them. Sage could feel his heart race in his chest as his breathing began to grow panicked. He only managed to retreat a few measly steps backward before he was completely frozen in fear. This was it.     "Sage," Robyn called to him as she dismounted the tiger. "Sage, listen to me. It feeds off fear. It can't hurt you if you're not afraid of it."     But Sage was hardly listening as the dark cloud seemed to posses predatory red eyes. It floated right over to him until it was so close Sage could see all his months of torturous nightmares reflected in those eyes. This was the end. The demon would have him and all the light in his soul would soon be taken away.     A figure stepped in between the terrified warrior and the black mass. Robyn stared the thing down without a hint of fear in her face. "If you want me, take me then. Leave my friends alone. I'm sick of playing these games with you." One could almost hear a sinister chuckle as the cloud moved to envelop the young girl.     "Robyn! No!" Rowen cried. Without thinking, the warrior of Strata dove into the smoke after her. White Blaze was quick to follow. The cloud seemed to regard Sage, who was still frozen in fear, one last time. But in the end, decided not to bother before it dissipated into thin air.     Some might have thought Sage the lucky one for being spared. But Sage didn't think so. Separated from his friends, right now he was in the place he ever wanted to be. Lost in the dark, completely and utterly alone. 


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Comes the Dawn

Chapter Fourteen 

"Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall"   
By Ghost of the Dawn 

Chapter Fourteen - Comes the Dawn 

    When the smoke cleared, Robyn found herself standing in the middle of a large warehouse. White Blaze was by her side. The first thing she noticed was the three familiar young men standing with their arms chained above their heads in front of her. "Kento! Ryo! Rowen!"     "There you are!" Robyn looked over to see Derek glaring at her. Sheila was behind him with a hateful expression on her face. "I'm going to get you for making us chase you halfway around the planet," she growled.     A large white tiger jumped in between them, startling the two teens who, apparently, didn't notice him before. "Sic 'em, White Blaze," Robyn called.     "I hate Japan," Derek whimpered.     The large cat leapt snarling into the air. It very much appeared that the two teens were going to be kitty litter when a blast of dark energy knocked the tiger away in mid air from his would-be victims. White Blaze was thrown against the nearest wall from the blast. He fell to the ground with what appeared to be a dark net which effectively held the growling tiger down.     Robyn gasped when she saw Kortez come up behind Derek and Sheila. She was badly outnumbered now. She tried to run, but the second she turned around, Jason was in her face. He grabbed her wrist in a vise-like grip. "I'm sick of chasing you all over," he told her before shoving her head into the wall a mere three feet away.     Robyn didn't even have time to cry out before her head collided forcefully and she slumped over unconscious. Jason wordlessly picked up the limp body and draped her over his shoulder.     "Robyn!" both Kento and Ryo cried.     "That's the guy!" Derek suddenly exclaimed. No one had time to comment before he ran over and gave a solid punch to Rowen's face. Rowen could feel the muscles in his neck snap back in protest to the sudden force. He scarcely had time to realize what happened before he was clocked by Derek's other fist as well.     "Stop it!" Ryo demanded.     "Yeah, you little coward," Kento added. "If you're too afraid to take on someone who isn't chained up, then why don't you try me?" Derek glared at the other two Ronins before laying a good placed kick up the side of Rowen's head again.     "Knock it off, Derek!" Sheila ordered. "You're acting like such a spoiled little kid. Besides, they'll be dead in a few hours anyway. Leave them alone."     Derek clenched his fists. He looked like he was going to hit Rowen again. But instead, he only made a sound of disgust and stalked away. Rowen was hanging limply from his chains now, trying desperately to stop his vision from swimming. Half of his face was already starting to swell and blood trickled from both his nose and his lip.     "Hang in there, Rowen," Ryo told him confidently. "Sage is still out there. He'll come for us."     Rowen coughed and spit out some blood before he replied. "Ryo, I don't know if we can depend on Sage this time."     "Huh? What are you talking about, Rowen? I know he'll come."     "Yeah, but you didn't see what I saw, Ryo." Rowen lifted his head. One of his eyes was already starting to swell shut. "I had never seen Sage so terrified in my life. I don't know if he could come whether he wanted to or not."     Any argument Ryo had stayed silent as Kortez approached them. "So, we're still missing one," he said. "No matter, four out of five isn't bad." He stretched forth his palm and soon, like the others, the power of Strata was his. Behind them, Jason set Robyn's light body on the ground and began tying her wrists to a thick pole which connected from the floor to the ceiling. No sooner had he finished tying the rope than Robyn began to stir back into consciousness.     "Oooh, my head," was the first thing she moaned as she sat up. She instantly noticed her wrists were bound when she tried to feel the new lump forming at the back of her skull. She gasped when she noticed Jason's hulking form still crouched over her. He was different than she remembered him when she first left America. He was considerably larger and older-looking. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes that wasn't there before.     "I never could understand you, Red," Jason said as he looked into her face. "You had the chance to do things - to have powers regular people never even dreamed of. But instead you ran away. That's going to be the biggest mistake of your life. Not to mention your last," he added with smirk. Robyn's stubborn expression never faltered at his remark. "Still, I got to hand it to you," Jason went on. "I never thought you would come back with anything like these guys. But you still lost. Now you're going to die with them. Too bad. You and I together - we could have been unstoppable."     Robyn gave him a calm, humorless smile. "I'd gladly die a death for every one of them before blindly giving my soul away to a madman like you did."      She didn't even see it coming before Jason hit her hard across the face as his anger suddenly flared. "Idiot!" he accused as he angrily stood. "You're crazy not to want this! What were you thinking?! Did you think you'd be better off with that skinny little wimp you were with tonight?" He forcefully grabbed Robyn's arm to make her look at him. "DID YOU?? Well you're out of luck, Princess, because he's dead. Do you hear me - DEAD!"     Robyn's face paled as her eyes grew wide. "Cye's dead?" she repeated softly. "No..."     "Yes," Jason spat back. "Thanks to you."     From where they were chained, the three Ronins could hear everything. "Ryo, he's not telling the truth, is he?" Rowen worried.     Kento lowered his head, not saying a word. Ryo didn't look at him. "He is," the bearer of Wildfire whispered. "Cye's gone."     Rowen's face was full of shock and hurt. "No, he - he can't be. I..." _I never really knew him._     Robyn remained kneeling on the warehouse floor. She pressed her forehead against the cold metal bar she was tied to. It wasn't as cold as the chill she felt on the inside. Her eyes stayed open and she didn't mutter a word or a sob. But the tears were still streaming down her cheeks. Cye was dead and it was all her fault. She had brought this evil and pain upon him. She had messed up his life the second she walked into it. And where was she when he needed her the most? _I never let him know how I felt. I didn't even get to tell him I was sorry..._     Ryo watched her from across the room and his heart tore in half. He couldn't bear to see her like that. Even if he was feeling the same grief himself. He heavily cursed the chains holding him back from going to comfort her. A glimpse at the other two Ronins' faces told him they felt the same way.     "It's time," Kortez suddenly announced with a hint of urgency in his voice. The trio of Shadow Walkers instantly gave him their full attention. The three Ronins watched on helplessly as Kortez brought in the hideous black statue from the other room and placed it in front of them. Then he knelt before it and started chanting in some bizarre tongue.     "Oh man, Ryo, we gotta do something," Kento said as he once again tried to break the chains that held him.     "I'm open to any suggestions right now," Ryo announced.     From her front-row seat of the ceremony, Robyn didn't bother to look up or even move. It didn't matter anymore. Whatever happened to her from now on; she didn't care. There was no point to it. The last thing she ever lived for was gone.     A storm began to gather outside. Lightning flashed while clouds swirled around over the warehouse. Fierce winds cut at and disturbed the once calm bay. Inside, black clouds formed over the statue, perfectly mimicking the large storm outside. White Blaze roared in frustration as he continued to fight with the net holding him down. A swift wind created inside the building whipped around as within the smoke, a dark humanistic figure began to form.     "Yes!" Kortez cried in triumph. "His Majesty, Lord Nago has returned!"     The dark, humanistic creature formed burning red eyes and looked down at his servants. It spoke with a deep, unearthly voice. "Bring forth the four that will help me gain passage into this world." The three Shadow Walkers stepped forward obediently. Robyn, who was still tied tight to the pole, could only look on and try to struggle free as her grief was now replaced with fear.     "Lord Nago," Jason was the first to speak. "I vow to serve you faithfully for the rest of my days."     The intangible form floated over to him. "Indeed, you will."     Without warning, Nago's apparition formed a large, gluttonous mouth and swallowed Jason's head. Jason screamed as he was enveloped by the darkness. His body and soul were sucked dry of his life essence until there was no more to give.     Sheila and Derek looked on in complete horror as their friend was reduced to nothing more than a stiff, black skeleton. When the creature of darkness next turned its hungry eyes on them, they tried to run. They didn't get far before the black smoke that made up the creature pounced on them and their cries of terror echoed through the building.     Stuck on her knees with her hands tied fast, Robyn could only watch in petrified horror as the black skeletons of the other two teens fell to the ground, forever frozen in grotesque poses of fright. Nago's form, considerably more solid now, turned to look at her and Robyn could feel her blood freeze in her veins.     She pulled feebly at the ropes, but the look in that monster's eyes kept her frozen to the spot. In the back of her mind she could hear her friends desperately crying her name. But it was all in vain; they could not help her. Nago stalked slowly toward her. Kortez could be seen smirking with triumph in the background. Robyn closed her eyes as a black claw snaked out to grab her.     There was a flash of steel and light. Suddenly, Nago's last victim was nowhere to be found.     "Over here, Ugly!" came a defiant voice.     Both Prince of Demons and his priest looked in outrage to where a young man in green armor held a large blade in one hand, and a very startled Robyn in the other.     "Sage?" Robyn asked in a shaky voice. "You came. I - I thought you were too afraid."     Sage managed to give her a weak smile. "I'm... working in it."     Nago gave a cry of demonic rage to the night. He only had a few seconds left before the time of his passing would be over. He would be cast back into banishment if he did not get a fourth victim in time.     "NO!" Kortez screamed at them. "You can't do this! Lord Nago will be free!"     Sage moved his blade stubbornly between them and their demon advasaries. "If Nago thinks he can get past me, then let him try!"     Robyn held tightly to the green clad warrior and stared at his face in awe. She could feel how much Sage was must be fighting his fear, even now. Though his stance stayed strong, Robyn could feel his body trembling beneath his armor.     Nago roared again. His plans could very well be ruined if he didn't get one last victim of darkness for his purpose.     "Lord Nago," Kortez cried as he ran before his master. "Please forgive me, I could not find a fourth willing servant for you."     Nago's slightly more human face twisted into a smile. "Oh, but you have."     Before Kortez could even ask, the Prince of Demons was upon him, sucking the life out of the last victim he needed. Robyn looked away and hugged Sage tighter as the old man suffered the same fate as the others. Sage backed away slightly from the display while the other Ronins were still helpless to do anything but hang there.     Once the last skeleton fell to the ground, it shattered. The ever-materializing form of Nago stepped forward. The blackness melted away to produce pale greyish skin. His face formed that of a man's. Middle-aged with a heavy jaw, dark eyes slightly sunk in, and a long forehead sprouting black hair down to his shoulders. He was dressed in a heavy black armor similar to those worn during ancient European times.     His footsteps were now heavy and solid as he approached Sage and Robyn. The bearer of Halo stepped forward as well, keeping himself between the dark prince and the young girl. He brandished his sword, ready to do his surekill when Nago stretched out his hand. A thick ball of darkness shot out and caught Sage right in the middle. It threw him back to the far wall and swallowed him up in a nightmarish black world.     Robyn gasped as she watched him frantically fight the black orb that now held him prisoner. His frantic cries in his frenzy to escape the darkness echoed in her ears.     "SAGE!" Robyn cried. But she stopped herself from running to him and, instead, clenched her fists at her side. She gave a long, heavy breath as she turned around to face the tall, dark demon. Nago walked right up to her, his height and girth towering over her small form. But Robyn stared him down. "So, you're Nago," she said evenly.     "I am," he said in a deep and hollow voice.     Robyn lifted her hand and promptly slapped the Prince of Demons across the face. "That was for the people you just murdered so you could come here," she informed him. Next, she balled up her fist and punched the taller figure right in the nose. "That was for Cye."     Nago's head jerked back from the hit; but other than that it didn't seem to hurt him. Instead he growled and grabbed her wrist in a grip so hard Robyn gave a yelp of pain. "Foolish girl," he growled at her. "If you only knew what I-"     He paused and the expression on his face suddenly looked like he had eaten something that didn't agree with him. He made a choking noise and went through the motions similar to a cat coughing up a fur ball. Finally, he spat out four glowing orbs into his free hand. Nago growled when he saw them there. "I told him to get rid of these," he hissed.     Robyn gave a cry of surprise when she was yanked over to where the other three Ronins were still chained. "You let her go right now," Ryo demanded. "So help me, I'll kill you myself."     "Not if I get to him first, Ryo," Kento promised.     "Count me in," Rowen added.     Nago just grinned at the threat. "You don't know what you're saying, boy. This girl is mine. You could never realize her full potential. She is one of us - a part of the dark side - whether she likes it or not. She is completely unique among your kind. I can use my powers to turn her into whatever I wish."     Robyn gasped as her whole being was filled with fear. She knew what it was like to feel that darkness inside of you. To have it swallow you up and suck your soul dry. She would rather die than live in such a way. With that horrible feeling inside her forever.     Ryo couldn't stand it anymore. He seethed in place as he felt his anger growing inside him. His emotions kept him from noticing at the time, but there was a heat and a power gathering in his body from somewhere. As his anger grew, so did the heat inside him until he was giving off abnormal temperatures.     Nago looked down at the orbs he still held in his other fist. The red one was beginning to glow and react. Ryo closed his eyes and managed to will his subarmor back onto his body, though the orb itself - now seeming a bit more transparent - still remained in Nago's hand.     "So, even from here you're still somewhat connected to these powers of yours," Nago said with amusement in his voice. He noted that the chains binding Ryo's wrists were beginning to glow red from the heat of Wildfire's power. "But," Nago continued with an evil, taunting tone. "Do you still want your powers back?" With his grip still tight on Robyn's wrist, he pressed her hand up against the chest of Ryo's subarmor. Robyn screamed as the scalding hot metal burned into her flesh. She tried to jerk away but Nago held her fast.     "Stop it!" Ryo cried, also trying his best to get away. But the chains, too, held him there.     "This is what your powers do," Nago spoke over Robyn's screams. "Is this what you fought so hard to keep?"     Tears were streaming freely down Robyn's cheeks and she couldn't stop crying out in pain. Rowen and Kento were too mortified by the scene to make any kind of protest. Ryo was on the verge of tears himself. He didn't want to hurt her. Why couldn't he make his armor stop? Hearing her cry was slowly killing him on the inside. This was far worse than any battle with any Warlord or Dynasty master.     "Stop it!" Ryo pleaded. "Please stop it! I'll do anything!"     Nago finally tore the severely burned hand away and threw Robyn's light form aside. She hit the floor and stayed curled up where she was, still sobbing heavily. Nago walked right up to Ryo and stared into his watery blue pools with his black, unfeeling eyes. "You'll do anything?" he pressed.     "Anything," Ryo whispered. "Just don't hurt her anymore."     Nago narrowed his eyes at him. "I want you to die," he hissed, clutching the armor orbs still in his possession. "I want you all to disappear from the face of this world. Starting with these." He clenched his powerful fist on intent of destroying the magical orbs.     From his prison in the black orb, Sage was using all his strength to keep the darkness from invading him. His powers of light kept a forcefield around him so Sage could concentrate on what was going on outside. _No, the armors! He'll destroy us all and this world! I can't let him win!_     Sage tuned his mind, body, and soul into fighting the darkness that held him. He had to get free. He had to save his friends. His mind and soul reached out to contact the other Ronins, to help wake their powers as well. His armor's power came as it was bidden and Sage felt that familiar searing light growing within him until it spilled from his armor and smothered the darkness around him.     _Wisdom_     Kento clenched his fists in frustration as he could feel Nago's powers smothering his connection with his armor. He wouldn't let that happen. His friends counted on his strength. They needed him to pull them through this. There was no way he was going down without a fight.     _Justice_     Rowen closed his eyes painfully. This couldn't be happening. They had survived all their battles together just so it could end like this? And if they failed this time, Robyn would be doomed to a life more horrible than any death they would experience. He couldn't let that happen. For Cye's sake, he would give it all to protect her. Everything he had.     _Life_     Nago cried out in rage and surprise. The orbs were no longer solid objects in his hand. They melted into liquid light and slipped through his fingertips. Ryo's face became one of determination as he felt his own power fully returning to him.     _Virtue_     The building was all aglow as the Ronins' subarmors returned to their bodies, the ever-faithful kanjis glowing on their foreheads. The black orb which held Sage shattered and the net covering White Blaze disappeared. And just then, the back wall began to shudder and bend as a light and a power from outside spilled in through the cracks.     _Trust_     The wall exploded and in stepped a figure wielding a long, triple-bladed staff. He was clad in a light blue armor which radiated a glow that was all its own. Nago turned to look at the new intruder as the armored warrior pointed his yari at the demon prince. "SUPER WAVE SMASHER!"     Nago howled like an enraged animal when he caught the full force of Torrent's surekill and was thrown right through the opposite wall. Cye marched slowly inside while all his friends watched with surprise and relief.     "Cye!" Kento exclaimed. "You - you're alive."     "Thank goodness," Rowen added. "You really had us all worried there." Sage said nothing as he used his no-datchi to cut down his three friends. Ryo rushed over to help Rowen, who still didn't look too sturdy on his feet.     Robyn was still curled up on the floor when a shadow fell over her. She looked up with eyes red from crying and full of fear as the armored figure knelt next to her.     "Cye?" Robyn asked weakly. She looked at the face beneath the helmet and saw those familiar trusting green eyes. "Oh, Cye!" She flung her arms around him, ignoring her burned hand completely. The pain didn't matter anymore. He was the only thing that mattered. Cye wrapped his arms around her.     "Robyn...." He had barely managed to whisper her name before Robyn felt his body go limp against her. Robyn gave a startled cry as his heavily armored body started to slump forward. She didn't have the strength to hold him up. Kento ran to her aid and pulled Cye's weakened form to his feet, draping one arm around his neck to hold him up. Cye's head rested limply against his chest as he was pulled up, causing his helmet to clank on the floor and letting his thick hair fall about his face.     "Hey, buddy," Kento said gently. "Sorry I doubted you. I should have known you'd pull through." Cye managed to give his friend a weak smile. Robyn moved to drape his other arm around her shoulders.     "INFIDELS!" an enraged voice echoed through the building. "YOU WILL ALL PAY FOR THIS MOCKERY!"     "Uh oh, guess who's back," Kento commented. "Man, and he sounds royally pissed off."     "Ryo," Cye called weakly. The bearer of Wildfire heard him and approached with Sage and a more steadier Rowen at his side. "Ryo," Cye continued. "The priest said only the flames of virtue can stop Nago once and for all."     "Woa, he really said it like that?" Kento exclaimed.     Cye nodded. "I heard him say it. We can beat him."     "Let's do it then," Rowen announced. "Let's combine our armors before he comes back for round two."     The look on Ryo's face told them he was ready to go with it. "You think you're up to it, Cye?" he asked.     "Yeah, my armor still has power enough. We have to stop that monster and we have to do it now. No matter what." The others nodded. Robyn only watched them all without a clue as to what they were talking about.     "Then let's do it," Ryo announced.     Despite the fact only two of the five Ronins were armored up, each was still fully capable of giving up their powers as they were. Robyn watched in awe as each one began to glow brightly in their respective colors. The four glowing energy balls of dark blue, green, light blue, and orange suddenly took on a life of their own and shot into Ryo's body. Robyn hid her face in Cye's shoulder as she was blinded by a white fire that turned Ryo's subarmor black. Another type of fire - bright orange and red - covered him next, leaving an imposing white armor over his body. White Blaze, who was consumed in the mixed powers as well, also bore a similar styled white armor though the great fires had left his fur now a dark grey.     Black Blaze roared with the power that surged through him while Ryo expertly drew the double swords he was carrying. No sooner had the display ended than almost half of the entire building was torn away without warning. A seething black monster, almost as tall as the building itself, stalked angrily towards them.     Everyone gasped at the frightening sight - except Cye who was out cold by now. The winds howled fiercely outside and lightning seemed to almost rain down from the heavens. Ryo stepped forward bravely to meet the atrocity on behalf of his comrades.     "Everyone, get out of here," Ryo ordered over his shoulder. "I'll take care of this myself. Black Blaze," he looked down at his faithful companion. "Go with them. Make sure Cye and Robyn get out of here safely, okay?"     The tiger whined, reluctant to leave his master's side, but did as he wished. Ryo moved to meet the demon half way while Kento set Robyn on Black Blaze's back. Cye's unconscious body was draped across the tiger's shoulders in front of her.     "Okay, let's go," Sage announced and the group hastened to evacuate the doomed building.     "So, you think you're going to stop me by yourself," Nago's demon form huffed at the puny, armored body at his feet.     "Just watch," Ryo said as he crouched for his surekill. Nago didn't give him any time before sending out a choking black smoke that was strangely solid enough to wrap around the warrior and lift him off the ground. Ryo fought viciously against the choking hold, but how does one fight against a black cloud? As a last resort, he reached inside him to his inner powers and the armor flared up in a bright light. The black fog retreated while Nago howled and shielded his eyes from the glare.     Without wasting the opportunity given him, Ryo jumped into action. "RAGE OF INFERNO!"     The screams of a tortured soul could be heard from those waiting at a safe distance outside. The building and everything surrounding it was fully engulfed in a white hot ball of fire. The on-lookers had to shield their eyes from the brightness. And from even where they were, they could still feel the heat of the attack.     When the blast subsided and the night once again went dark, there was nothing left of the entire area but a large, black crater. A figure in white armor hiked slowly up to his friends, dragging his swords along the ground as he went.     "It's finished," Ryo announced tiredly as he dropped his swords to the ground. They disappeared at once as well as Ryo's and White Blaze's Inferno armor. Now once again clad in his sub armor, Ryo gave a sigh of fatigue and sat heavily on the ground. He was totally spent from his battle. "So," he then said, still slightly out of breath. "What do you guys wanna do now?" 

***** 

    The entire group went back to Mia's place for recovery. None of them dared show their faces at home with the shape they were currently in. It was easy to imagine the kind of look Mia had on her face when they all appeared, beat up and exhausted, on her doorstep.     Cye was immediately put to bed. Drained more physically and spiritually than any of the others had been, he was still unconscious and also developing a small fever now. Mia was demanding details from everyone while Sage attended to those who had injuries they couldn't take home with them without raising anyone's suspicions.     Pretty soon, things had calmed down as everyone involved took to recovering from the night's battle in their own way. After hearing all anyone would tell her about what happened, Mia moved to the kitchen to prepare some hot chocolate for whoever wanted some. Robyn took note of where she was and decidedly stayed away from that part of the house. She already knew this was all her fault. She didn't need any of Mia's accusing glares to remind her of that.     Sneaking past the kitchen, Robyn stumbled upon Sage. He was curled up on the couch fast asleep. Even more than just asleep - he looked dead asleep. Their battle with Nago had left all the Ronins' powers weak. Sage had used the last of the energy he had to heal their wounds. Robyn looked down at the hand that was burned. It was as good as new now, thanks to him. She wished he wasn't asleep right then. There was so much she wanted to tell him; to thank him, to apologize to him. But it would all have to wait.     Robyn looked around the room and managed to find a nice, warm blanket. She draped it slowly over the sleeping blonde, making sure he was wrapped up in the soft material completely before she was satisfied with her chore. She took a few more moments to watch him sleep. Kneeling next to him to better study his face, she thought he had never looked so peaceful. Robyn lightly brushed a few stray strands of golden hair from his face before standing up again.     "Hey," Rowen greeted quietly as he walked into the room. The bearer of Strata's face was now healed as well. He was dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a thick sweater. He had been in the shower for almost an hour previous. The Ronin boys always kept a few pairs of clothes at Mia's house. One never knew when they would need them. He had a small towel draped around his neck as he dabbed at his still damp bangs. "What are you doing in here?"     "Oh, just putting the kids to bed," Robyn replied lightly, motioning to the sleeping figure on the couch.     "How about yourself?" Rowen asked as he came up closer to her. "You look like you could use some sleep."     Robyn shrugged. "Maybe in a little bit. I'll be fine for now."     She turned to go when Rowen suddenly grabbed her and held her against him. "It's okay, you know," he whispered to her. "It's over now. We took care of it. You don't have to worry anymore."     Robyn closed her eyes and allowed herself the luxury of enjoying the embrace. The soft material of his sweater felt comforting against her cheek. And Rowen smelled so good from the scented soap Mia always kept in her bathrooms. She clutched his sleeve tightly as he held her. "I know," she replied into his shoulder. "But it's hard to get used to. To know it's finally over after so long. Without that fear, I don't know what to feel anymore."     Robyn's eyes popped open in surprise when she felt Rowen's lips brush against her forehead. "Feel safe," he said softly. Robyn, who suddenly found herself at a loss for words, only nodded weakly. "Go get some rest," Rowen then told her. And with thus said, he moved off to the kitchen to answer the alluring smell of hot chocolate calling to him.     Robyn watched him go into the other room before turning in the opposite direction. She headed for the stairs and the bedrooms, but paused on the first step when she noticed a light down the hall. Curious, she went to investigate and found a small practice room with Ryo sitting cross legged in the middle of it. The dark-haired youth had his eyes shut tightly and his palms out on his lap. His brows were furrowed in heavy concentration. Robyn didn't dare make a sound as she peaked in the doorway. He looked almost mad sitting there.     Robyn remembered when she got her first taste of Ryo's temper back at Rowen's house. She never would have guessed he was like that. He always seemed too happy and light hearted to her. Ryo had a certain fight in him that he kept locked away for such occasions. And now that Robyn had seen it, she wasn't about to chance giving it a reason to resurface.     "Robyn?"     She jumped when Ryo said her name. She didn't realize he had noticed her there. She stepped guiltily in the doorway but didn't come in the room. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you," she mumbled.     "It's all right," Ryo said casually as he stood up. His feet were bare and he was dressed in khaki green sweat pants and a tight black tank top. Robyn always thought he looked good in black. "I wasn't really doing much. You can come in if you like."     Robyn took a few timid steps inside. She looked around the small bare room, hands clasped behind her back. Her right hand tugged at the hem of her left sleeve agitatedly. She felt out of place here with him just now. She had no reason to be there.     Ryo rubbed the dark skin of his bare shoulder in the silence. Inside he felt the urge to say something to her. But truthfully, he didn't know what it was that he was feeling impressed to say. Little did he realize, Robyn was feeling the same thing.     "Ryo, you were... I mean, I really just - thank you, Ryo," she finally said as she looked sincerely into his face. "Thank you for doing that for me."     Ryo nodded. "Hey, it's my job," he said with a small smile. "So how about you? You look kind of flushed, are you feeling okay?" He reached out to check her forehead for a fever but was surprised when Robyn reflexively jumped back from his touch. Robyn was hardly aware what she had done either. It was more like an automatic reflex than anything. Her mind instantly reverted back to earlier that night where she could feel her own flesh burning away when she was forced to touch his chest. Her newly healed hand pulsated with a dull pain as she remembered how much it had hurt. Without realizing it, she stared warily at Ryo's chest while he looked on in confusion.     When Ryo finally did figure out what was going on he looked hurt. Because of that monster, she was afraid of him now. He could never live with that. Before Robyn could pull away a second time, Ryo reached out and caught her wrist. He looked into her eyes reassuringly as he gently placed her hand on his chest right above his heart. She flinched when she touched him, but relaxed when she felt the usual soothing warmth he radiated.     "I'm sorry for what happened," Ryo said to her. "I would never ever purposefully hurt you. I don't want you to be afraid of me."     Robyn looked into his deep blue eyes and saw the hurt and the pleading in them. She knew he was sincere and she felt bad for making him feel that way. Robyn removed her hand and nodded. A small smile graced her lips. "I know." Ryo smiled back in relief. "I'm going to go upstairs now," Robyn then announced. "I'll see you later, Ryo."     Ryo nodded as she left and headed up the stairs. There were several open vacant rooms she could choose from where she could rest. But Robyn went straight to the bedroom whose door was already closed. Easing the door open, she slipped inside as quietly as possible. Cye's body was resting peacefully in the bed covered by a thick quilt. There was a cold cloth on his forehead for his fever. The only light given off in the dark room was by a few candles placed on the nightstand.     In a chair by the bed sat Kento, slumped over with his elbows resting on his knees. Robyn smiled gently at him. Cye was so lucky. He really did have one of the best friends in the world. Kento never left his side since they got here and had been nursing his fever all night. He looked up when he heard someone enter the room. Robyn put a hand on his shoulder as she looked down at him. "Would you mind if I stayed with Cye for a while? You look like you could use a break."     Kento looked at Cye and then up at her. He really didn't want to leave his best friend alone. But the look on Robyn's face told him that perhaps this is what she needed more than him. "Yeah, you can watch him," Kento agreed as he stood up.     Robyn smiled her thanks. "Mia's making hot chocolate downstairs if you want some."     "Oh, sounds good," Kento said as he headed for the door. "I'll come back and check on you guys in a little while."     Robyn nodded as he left. Now alone with a sleeping Cye, she sad down in the wooden chair, still warm from Kento's body heat. With arms folded in her lap, she watched his peaceful face in the candle light. The soft light bounced off his pale skin and a few strands of hair fell over his eyes.     Robyn's mind wondered back and remembered how close she came to losing him. That horrible feeling she felt when she thought he was dead. At that point, Robyn couldn't hold it in anymore. She broke down and, finally, cried. Her hands went up to cover her face as silent sobs wracked her body. She was so confused with how she felt. It was over now, everyone was safe. Why did it still hurt so bad inside? Her tears soaked her palms as she continued to cry quietly in the darkness.     Robyn's head jerked up when she felt somebody touch her. Her heart jumped into her throat when she saw Cye, wide awake now and reaching for her. His chest was bare with his blankets pooled around his waist. In the candlelight, he was the most beautiful thing Robyn had ever seen. "Cye," she choked out.     "Robyn," was his simple reply. Without another word, Robyn flung herself at him, practically curling up into his lap as she hugged him tight and cried openly onto his shoulder. Cye closed his eyes and hugged her sobbing form tightly while he stroked her hair. "It's okay," he whispered softly. "Please don't cry, Robyn." He could handle Dynasty torture and demons ripping out his soul, but his heart just couldn't stand seeing her hurt like that. She pulled away and attempted to dry her face on her sleeve, the last of the sobs dying down as she fought to compose herself. Then she looked right into his eyes, begging him to listen to what she had to say next.     "Cye, I want to tell you how sorry I am." Cye tried to ask why but Robyn kept going without giving him a chance. "I've treated you so bad ly sometimes and you haven't deserved any of it. All you've ever done is put up with me. You were always so kind and giving and to pay you back I treated you like crap. And then I put your life in danger. I never meant to do that Cye, I don't want anything to happen to you." Despite all her efforts not to, the tears were beginning to spill freely again. "When I thought you were dead I just wanted to die. You're the only thing in this world I have left. I don't ever want to lose you. I'm so sorry, Cye! Please forgive me."     Cye smiled kindly down at her and gently wiped away the tears from her cheeks. "It's okay, Robyn. There's nothing to forgive."     Robyn sighed in frustration as she leaned into his touch. "There's so many things I still need to tell you. I already told the others what happened. I wish you could have been the first to hear it."     Cye gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "It's all right. You can tell me whenever you're ready."     Robyn moved away from him and sat on the edge of the bed, dangling her feet onto the floor. There was a slight smile on her face now. "Well, I've got horrible judgement when it comes to picking out boyfriends, I'll tell you that right now."     Cye blinked. "You mean that Jason guy, you and him...?"     "Kinda," Robyn shrugged. "I think he was more attached to what I was than who I was. He kept trying to push the relationship, but I wouldn't let him." She chuckled humorlessly. "Heck, I wouldn't even let him kiss me. And I think it's a good thing I didn't, too. To be honest, I was starting to like him. But for a long time I always wanted my first kiss to be special. I didn't want it to be from him."     "You never kissed anyone before?" Cye asked.     When Robyn shook her head, Cye looked at her dubiously. "Rowen doesn't count!" Robyn insisted. "That wasn't a real kiss! He just did it to tick you off." She sighed heavily and rested her face in her hands. "Sometimes I think I'm doomed to a life of poorly chosen men and meaningless relationships."     There was a span of silence in which Robyn was left to meditate on all the bad choices she had made throughout her life.     "Robyn?"     She looked up to see Cye staring intently into her face. His eyes held an emotion she had never seen in them before as he reached out to gently cradle her face in one hand. He leaned in closer. Robyn could feel his breath on her mouth before he touched his lips ever so softly to hers. He closed his eyes; she kept hers open from surprise. There were no sparks of electricity nor a sudden burning desire flaming up between them. But there was emotion; love. And the spiritual bond that existed between them grew stronger from this.     Robyn's eyes were still opened when he pulled away. There was a slight twinkle of amusement in Cye's eyes when he looked at her. "Does that count as a real first kiss?" he asked. Robyn nodded dumbly. "It was mine, too," Cye admitted.     Robyn raised an eyebrow at him when Kento peeked into the room. "Cye? CYE!" Kento flung the door wide open. "Cye, you're awake! You're all right!" He cupped his mouth with one hand and yelled down the stairs. "Hey, everyone! Cye's awake!"     There was a series of startled thumps from down stairs, followed by the rumbling of many skittering feet. Kento, for his part, practically pounced on Cye's smaller form and gave his best friend a big bear hug. "Cye, you scared me half to death!" the Warrior of Strength exclaimed. "Don't ever do that to me again!"     Cye chuckled through the embrace, but his expression changed when he saw Robyn over Kento's shoulder. She was still sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at the floor awkwardly. Cye couldn't believe the pink hue that blossomed on her cheeks. Was Robyn blushing? Cye used to think there wasn't a single thing in the world that could make such a blunt person like Robyn be embarrassed. He had never seen her blush before in his life. What was it that finally caused her to do so?     "Cye!" Ryo cried as he appeared in the doorway. He was almost pushed out of the way by a hasty Rowen who was right at his heels. A yawning Sage slowly brought up the rear as the rest of the boys all filed inside. Robyn gave up her seat and stood aside as the Ronins all gathered around their companion, each expressing their concern and relief he was back. Whatever happened in the past didn't mean a thing. They were all back together again and that was all that mattered.     Sage had crawled onto the other side of Cye's bed and looked like he was ready to go back to sleep. Ryo sat crosslegged at the foot of the bed and bounced excitedly. Rowen took the chair in front of the bed while Kento stayed sitting at the bedside next to Cye. Each member seemed to want to take a turn in roughing up the bearer of Torrent's hair while they all talked at once about their recent adventure.     Robyn smiled at the warm scene before she slipped unnoticed out the door. On her journey down the stairs she could still hear the happy voices exclaiming how they were the best and that no one could beat them. Robyn chuckled to herself; they sounded like a high school sports team that had just won that night's game.     With all the main noise-makers upstairs, the house was very quiet now. Robyn wasn't sure what to do with herself at that point. She ended up wandering out to the front porch and sitting on the steps. She watched the sky as the first rays of sunlight were just barely starting to peek over the treetops. It was a very peaceful scene. Everything Robyn knew in the world was good. But she still felt a bit... lonely.     "Hot chocolate?"     Robyn looked up to see Mia, of all people, standing over her and offering a steaming mug. Robyn took it gratefully and sipped at the warm contents while Mia took a seat beside her and drank from her own cup.     "I know how you feel," the tall brunette said simply.     Robyn raised an eyebrow at her. "Feel about what?"     Mia continued to watch the ever brightening horizon. "You want so much to be a part of them. To be what they are; to share in their goodness. We can help them, we can be there for them when they need us. But there's a bond that connects those five that runs deeper than our understanding. We can never be a part of that."     Robyn nodded slowly. Who knew, Mia did realize what she was thinking.     "Still," Mia continued. "I find comfort in knowing that as long as they're together, everything feels right in this world. And I am just thankful I was able to be a part of their lives."     Robyn smiled reflectively into her mug. "Very well said," she admitted. "A toast then. To the best thing in both our lives. May that, at least, never change."     "I can drink to that," Mia smiled. They clanked their glasses together and continued to watch the rising sun in silence. Above them, the happy conversations of the five young men could be heard slightly from the window upstairs. In that moment right then, everything indeed felt right with the world. 


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Evil Overlooked

Chapter Fifteen 

"Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall"   
By Ghost of the Dawn 

Chapter Fifteen - Evil Overlooked 

    "So, how do I look?" Cye asked as he presented himself.     It had been a week since their experience with Nago and all those who survived it were just trying to get through their usual lives like everyone else.     Robyn looked away from the bathroom mirror where she was doing her make-up and studied him from head to toe. He was cleaned, cut, and dressed in a sharp black tuxedo with light blue trim around the collar.     "Woo, very nice. You'll be the best looking one at the Prom tonight." Robyn stepped out and circled him, running her fingers over the back of his shoulders. "Say, Handsome, how about ditching your date and taking me instead?"     She leaned in the doorway and tried to look enticing. It didn't work much considering she had only half her make-up on and there were still curlers sprouting from her head. She was wearing her dress though. It was an Oriental style with a high collar and no sleeves. Tastefully colored with bright orange, red and gold, it would have looked pretty good on her if the slit halfway up her left side didn't reveal her baggy black sweat pants she still wore underneath.     Cye laughed at the way she carried herself and put his hands on her bare shoulders. "Well, as tempting as that is, we're both promised to someone else tonight." He turned and started up the stairs for his bedroom. "Let me know when Kento gets here."     Robyn nodded with a smile and then returned to her primping. She was almost done with her make-up when the doorbell rang. Robyn slipped out of her sweats before running barefoot to get the door.     "Hey, Robyn," Kento's smiling face appeared in the doorway. He too was looking sharp in a nice black suit and tie. "Is Cye ready?"     "Yeah, I'll get him," Robyn replied as she motioned him to come inside. She walked over and called up the stairs. "Cye, your date's heeerrrreeee!"     The sounds of frenzied footsteps resounded soon after as a worried-looking Cye came down. But it disappeared when he reached the bottom step and saw Kento standing there.     "What's the matter, Cye?" Kento joked at the irritated expression on his face. "Aren't I what you expected? I hate to tell you, but the girls don't come to your house, you have to go pick them up."     "Funny," Cye retorted. "Thanks for the false alarm, Robyn."     "No problem," she grinned back.     Kento laughed as he walked up to her. "Hey, Robyn, you're looking pretty good in that thing. You might want to keep those curlers in your hair just so you don't steal everyone else's dates. Wouldn't want the rest of the girls to get jealous now." He winked and gave her a playful squeeze around the shoulders.     "Aw, you're so sweet," Robyn cooed back as she kissed him on the cheek. She made a guilty face when she noticed the red marks her lipstick left on his skin. "Oh dear, that's not going to look very good when you go to pick up your date, is it?" She tried to rub the mark off with her thumb. Mrs. Mouri walked in just then and saw what happened.     "Oh, goodness, Robyn!" she fussed as she wiped off Kento's lipstick with a wet cloth. "What am I going to do with you?"     "Sorry," Robyn said, trying hard not to laugh. Cye was chuckling while Kento took the treatment with tolerance. Sometimes Cye's mother and his own weren't that different.     "There you go, Kento; now you boys get going and have fun."     "We will, Mrs. Mouri, thanks," Kento grinned as he headed out.     "Bye, Mom," Cye said as he kissed her cheek. "Save a dance for me," Cye then told Robyn as he hastily kissed her temple then ran out the door. Kento had been dropped off at his house. Cye was taking his mom's car that night because they all thought Kento's jeep would be too loud and crowded for such a nice evening.     Robyn waved them off before closing the door after them. Only then did Mrs. Mouri realized Robyn's current state. "Robyn!" she exclaimed. "Your date will be here any minute! Get those curlers out of your hair! Get your shoes! Come on!"     Robyn hardly had time to say anything before she was yanked back in the bathroom and forced to get ready for her own date. 

***** 

    This year's Prom was being hosted in the lobby of one of Toyama's largest hotels. All night long, cars and cabs pulled in and out of the huge parking lot as beautifully dressed young men and women came to enjoy the school year's biggest dance. A greyish blue car pulled in and parked like all the others. Out of the driver's seat stepped Rowen and from the door behind him was Ryo. Both were dressed in their tuxedos as they walked around the car to get the doors for their dates.     Rowen's date was a girl he had met in one of his college classes. She was a mature, sophisticated looking thing with straight dark hair cut just below her jaw. Ryo's date was Kami - the girl from his chemistry class and Robyn's friend. Incidently, it was Robyn's meddling that got Ryo to ask her out in the first place. Kami had an inkling it was Robyn's fault that she was going to the prom with her secret crush. She would have to be sure and thank her friend later for that.     The two young men suavely escorted their dates into the beautifully decorated building. The place was already filling up with bodies and the music and lights were at full force. The two couples simply meandered about until Rowen heard someone call his name. He turned to see Cye and Kento, plus their dates, coming up to greet them. Kento's date was blonde, of course. Kento always had this bizarre thing for blondes. Rowen wasn't sure where Kento had met her; he had never seen her around school before. Cye's date was a shy-looking brunette he shared his marine biology class with. She went perfectly with her shy-looking male escort.     "So, Sage isn't coming, is he?" was the first thing Kento asked when he met up with them.     Rowen shook his head. "Never bothered to get a date or anything. I've been bugging him for weeks about it. He just didn't want to come."     Cye's date and Kami apparently knew each other and talked happily about their dresses and hair and things while the other two girls stood by their dates and smiled politely.     "Well, it's his loss," Cye shrugged, referring to Sage's absence.     "So let's go par-tay then!" Kento announced. His date whooped and cheered along with him. Rowen laughed. His date was good for him. Both of them were loud.     Ryo politely interrupted the two talking girls to invite Kami out on the dance floor. Anyone watching could see the stars in her eyes as she walked off arm in arm with Ryo and they started to dance.     "Robyn wasn't kidding when she said that girl had a thing for Ryo," Kento whispered to Rowen.     "Yeah, but it looks like they're both having fun," Rowen replied. "And speaking of Robyn, have you guys seen her here yet?"     Kento and Cye shook their heads. "But when they get here, I'm going to keep an extra sharp watch on that Hiroshi," Kento promised.     "Calm down, Kento," Cye spoke up. "Robyn's fine. Don't worry about it."     Rowen and Kento both looked at Cye incredulously. "I can't believe I'm hearing this from you," Kento said. Cye just shrugged casually before walking off with his date to the dance floor. Rowen and Kento looked at each other before following. 

Ryo was the only one who caught sight of Robyn any time during the dance. The place was so big one could hardly find anyone without doing some serious traveling around. Ryo was dancing with Kami during a slow dance when he noticed her. She was dancing with Hiroshi; her hand on his shoulder with his hand around her waist. They seemed to be talking about something comical. Both were smiling and every now and then one or both would laugh.     Robyn looked beautiful that night in her form fitting red and orange dress. Ryo loved those colors. Most of her hair was pulled back with just the right amount of auburn ringlets framing her face. The dance ended and Robyn finally noticed him. She gave a small wave to Ryo before Hiroshi pulled her off through the large crowd and out of sight.     "Hey, slow down, turbo," Robyn laughed as Hiroshi pulled her quite quickly through the room. "What are you doing?"     "I'm sick of dancing," Hiroshi answered plainly.     "Already? We only danced once."     Hiroshi glanced at his watch before he led her to a small section that had a few tables for those who wanted a seat. He sat her down at the closest empty table and took a chair across from her. "So what now?" Robyn then asked.     Hiroshi shrugged as if he had no clue as to why he was brought there in the first place. Robyn gave him a look and then shook her head. Boys. Like they had a thought in their brains to begin with anyway. She folded her hands in her lap and tapped her foot to the music as she spent the next few minutes watching other couples out on the dance floor moving to a livelier tune. Hiroshi seemed to be looking around for something else, but Robyn didn't really notice.     "Ah, there you are," said a painfully familiar voice. Robyn turned toward Hiroshi, who was looking at none other than an approaching Miniko Hino. She had a cup of punch in one hand and was dressed in a low-cut black gown which left her shoulders bare and tightly hugged her perfect form. "I've been waiting for you," Miniko purred as she ran her finger along the back of Hiroshi's neck.     Robyn was a bit more surprised when he stood up and kissed her full on the mouth. So much for the rumor of them breaking up, Robyn thought to herself. "So what exactly are you doing here, Miniko?" Robyn asked flatly.     She grinned. "Why, I'm enjoying the Prom with MY date, of course."     "Your date?" Robyn argued. "But he-"     "Wrong!" Miniko cut her off. "You seem to enjoy making me look stupid in front of people, now it's your turn. What made you think anyone in their right mind would want to go out with someone like you anyway?"     Robyn seemed a bit hurt as she looked at Hiroshi. She would expect this kind of underhandedness from Miniko, but she thought Hiroshi was better than that. The dark-haired young man only shrugged indifferently. Well, obviously he didn't care. Robyn sighed and stood up.     "That's right," Miniko mocked. "Go on home. We wouldn't want to see you cry here and ruin it for anyone, now would we?"     Robyn merely nodded. She honestly didn't feel like crying, despite what happened. It wasn't like Hiroshi was her dream date anyway. Besides, that's what Miniko wanted and Robyn wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. She could easily go out and catch the bus home. Get out of her confining dress, put on some comfy sweats, and catch the late movie. No problem.     Robyn started to go and Miniko's blood boiled when she saw Robyn didn't seem to care. That little witch was still making fun of her. She couldn't get away with that.     Quick as she could, Miniko jumped in front of her, causing Robyn to knock into her a little. Miniko purposefully tipped her cup towards Robyn, causing the red, staining punch to splatter all over her front. That got Robyn's attention.     She gasped as she felt the cold liquid seep through to her skin. The bright red stain was dribbled all down the front of her, marring the beautiful gold designs that were woven into the fabric. "Oops, so sorry," Miniko smiled in mock apology.     Robyn's look of horror was reward enough for Miniko. She didn't bother to harass the young girl further as Robyn fled from her. The lights went dim as another slow song came on. Couples held each other close and moved slowly. Robyn was thankful as it made it easier for her to slip past the bodies and no one could really see the stain. She hurried as fast as her dress and shoes would allow out the door and then fled around the corner where no one could see her.      Leaning against the cold brick wall of the hotel, Robyn let out a deep breath to calm herself down. She brushed a few curls out of her face as she tried to assess the situation. She could still catch the bus home. But did she really want to with that bright red stain now decorating her front? It was way too far to walk. Cye would get home after the dance and dropping off his date before she would get there. Robyn could feel the lump forming in her throat but she told herself she wasn't going to cry.     _So this wasn't the best night of my life; so what? No need to cry about it. This certainly wasn't the worst night either. Things could have been worse. It's not a big deal. I'm not going to cry about it. I can't let Miniko get to me. She probably planned this whole thing from the get go. So what? She's not worth it. She's just a bully. I'm not going to let her get to me. I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to-_      Robyn looked down again at her soiled dress and she couldn't stop her eyes from watering. It didn't bother her so much that Miniko had humiliated her at the dance. It bothered her that she had ruined her dress. It wasn't just a rental. A rental Robyn could deal with. She wouldn't be crying over the fact she would have to work to pay off the damages. It made her cry because it was paid for. Not only by her. Cye and his mother had also saved up to help pay for it. She didn't want to see their faces when they saw the dress now, beyond repair.     Robyn couldn't hold it back now as she cried. She sank down onto the ground, pulled up her knees and buried her face in them. Sometimes it felt like the whole world was working against her. Just once, couldn't something go completely right? Couldn't there be just one time in her life where she wouldn't end up disappointing somebody? The tears soaked the material covering her knees, but Robyn couldn't stop sobbing.     She froze when she felt someone lay a hand on her head. Who was it that was going to see her like this? One of the guys? She didn't want their pity right now. It could be just some stranger who happened to find her. Or worse, Miniko could be back to kick her around some more.     Robyn's vision was blurred from the tears when she looked up. The figure seemed friendly enough and handed her a handkerchief to wipe away her tears. The white material was marred as some of the smeared make-up from her face rubbed off onto it. With her vision clear, Robyn looked up into a pair of deep purple eyes. One was slightly covered by wisps of golden hair.     Robyn tried to hide her face in one hand. She couldn't believe HE, of all people, appeared out of the blue to see her like this. "Sage," she choked through half a sob. "What are you doing here?"     The Warrior of Light was crouched down right in front of her and gently lifted her chin with one finger. "You know, you really shouldn't hide your eyes like that."     "Why?" Robyn asked bitterly.     "Because your eyes are so beautiful."     Robyn sniffed. This conversation sounded familiar. "Is that a come-on?" she finally asked.     Sage smiled thoughtfully. "Hmm... maybe."     Robyn choked back a laugh and wiped her tear-stained cheeks again. Sage stood and held out his hand to her. Robyn allowed him to pull her to her feet. She still couldn't believe he was dressed in a tuxedo. Why did he ever get one if he didn't bother to get a date? Robyn began to think Sage enjoyed confusing the heck out of people. He sure did it often enough.     Sage furrowed his brow when he saw the condition her dress was in. Robyn wrapped her arms around herself to help hide it. But that didn't make her feel any better. She felt wet and sticky and all around gross. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" Sage asked casually. It wasn't a request, but more of an offer if she wanted to take it.     Robyn sighed heavily and leaned back against the wall. She slowly relayed what had happened that night. Sage leaned against the wall next to her in his usual pose and listened quietly. Robyn never told him, but she was starting to be thankful for Sage's company that night. After she was done spilling the beans, the topic shifted over to Sage and the other Ronins. Robyn asked him a few general questions and Sage seemed more than willing to give a straight answer.     It was nice having him there. Every once in a while a couple would peek around the corner, looking for a dark place to make out or whatnot. Of course, they wouldn't stay with the two teens already standing there. For whatever reason Sage came, Robyn was glad for it. The last thing she really wanted right now was to be alone.     Robyn wasn't sure how long they had been standing there when Sage pulled away from the wall and turned to face her. "Come on," he said, holding out his arm to her.     Robyn didn't ask why as she put her arm through his. She figured Sage was probably going to take her home now. She got a surprise when she found out he was heading back into the hotel.     "Sage," Robyn protested as she started to drag her feet. "I can't go back in there! Can't I just go home?"     "This is the last dance for the night," Sage insisted. "Afterwards, I'll take you home."     "But look at me - look at my dress," Robyn whined. "I look horrible!"     Sage slipped his arm out of hers and wrapped it around her shoulder, pulling her close. "Trust me, no one will notice," he said to her.     At that point, Robyn gave up and let him pull her to the dance floor. The last song of the evening was already playing - soft and low. Sage guided her through the crowd of slow swaying bodies before stopping in a spot that suited him.     Robyn was more worried about who might be watching her when Sage grabbed her hands in his. She looked at him questioningly as he guided her hands up to his shoulders. Then he wrapped his arms around her. One went around her lower back while the other hugged her shoulders. Robyn stiffened when his embrace pressed her body against his.     "There, now no one will be able to see," he whispered to her.     It took a while, but Robyn's body finally relaxed against his. Sage seemed to excel in the slow dance as well as fast and the way he swayed to the music calmed and soothed her. It didn't feel wrong at all for her to be there with him. She knew by now that Sage was, without a doubt, her friend.     Robyn allowed herself to close her eyes and, just for a little while, revel in the moment; whatever it meant to either of them. When she opened her eyes again, she was treated to the site of Miniko, dancing in the arms of Hiroshi, staring with an expression on her face Robyn could not describe. It was the perfect payback, but Robyn took no time to bask in the revenge. She didn't want to see Miniko or have anything else to do with her for as long as she lived. So she buried her face in Sage's shoulder and tried not to think about her.     "Sage," Robyn asked in his ear when they had rotated away Miniko from her field of vision. "Why did you go through all this trouble for just one dance?"      Sage lowered his head until his breath tickled her ear. "For me, one is enough," he whispered simply.     The song ended and the lights came on. Robyn was the first to pull away. She wrapped her arms around herself consciously. Sage took off his jacket and slipped it around her shoulders. Robyn looked up at him and he put his arm around her and gently led her off the dance floor. "Let's go home."     Robyn merely nodded and let him lead her out. It was a bit of a long walk since Sage, being one of the last people there, had to park the furthest away. 

    The four Ronin boys all left the dance at the same time. Kento and his date were still in rare form and chattered happily as they all exited the hotel. Cye's feet hurt; he wasn't used to dancing so much. Rowen was trying to be tolerant of his date, who continued to yack about certain college classes they had together. _That's the last time I ask out someone with a grade average similar to mine, Rowen thought to himself. How can anyone stand to talk about school after we've been studying in it all day?_     "Hey Ryo," Kami tugged on his arm. "Isn't that your friend Sage over there? Who's he with?"      Everyone turned to where she was looking. There he was about halfway across the parking lot. "That can't be... Robyn, can it?" Kento squinted his eyes to see in the darkness. "What are they doing together? Maybe we should go and - hey, Cye, where ya going?"      Cye never stopped as he escorted his date down the stairs. "Come on, Kento, it's late. Let's take the girls home."     "Uh, okay man, it's your car," Kento said, following his friend with a puzzled expression.     Cye understood his confusion. The Cye Mouri a week ago would have ran after them, demanding what happened. But Cye was tired of making a spectacle of himself every time Robyn threw him a curve. He would rather see Robyn with Sage than with that Hiroshi guy anyway. He now realized Robyn was right to get angry with him for nosing around in her daily business. If she wanted to tell him about it later she could. He wasn't her parent, he was her friend. And as a friend, it was not his job to lecture, but to understand.     "Come on, Ryo," Kami said, pulling his arm again. "Let's go catch up to Robyn. I haven't been able to see her yet."     Ryo let her drag him down the stairs and across the parking lot. Rowen and his date looked at each other and then followed behind them at a slower pace.     "Hey, Robyn!"     Robyn froze when she heard Kami call her name. "Oh no," she groaned. "So close to freedom, yet so far away..." Sage gave her an almost whimsical smile as he tightened his hold on her shoulders and spun her around. Robyn smiled weakly as her friends approached. Please let it be too dark to see my face. I look horrible.     "Robyn," Kami cried as she came up. "Oh, you look so pretty tonight."     _Woa, it must be darker than I thought_ "You, too," Robyn replied sincerely.     "I saw Hiroshi with Miniko," Kami went on. "They were so horrible to do that to you. I'm sorry."     Robyn shrugged. Ryo looked up at Sage. "Did you know they were going to do that?" Sage didn't answer. Robyn waved to Rowen when he approached. As she did this, Ryo caught a glance of the huge stain on her dress. He was about to say something about it, but the look Sage gave him inclined Ryo to keep his mouth shut.     "So, you decided to come anyway, huh?" Rowen asked.     "For a little bit," Sage replied. "But we should be going now, excuse us." They both said their quick good-byes before retreating to Sage's car. Sage opened the door for her and Robyn practically dove inside. She heaved a heavy sigh as the door was closed behind her and Sage got in the driver's side.     "What a night," Robyn breathed as she laid back in the seat. "No offense, Sage, but I would rather not have to go through something like that again for the rest of my life."     The Warrior of Light just gave her an amused smile before starting the car. There was no further conversation as they pulled out into the street and started for Robyn's neighborhood. The car remained quiet as they reached the Mouri house. None said a word as Sage opened the door and escorted Robyn to the porch. Robyn paused before opening the door.     "Thanks for being there, Sage," Robyn said to him. "I don't know why you were there. I don't know if I want to know. But it was nice spending time with you."     Sage's reply was a quick kiss to the cheek, leaving Robyn a bit surprised. "Thank you for the dance," he said in her ear. Then he turned on his heel and walked away. Robyn was awestruck as she watched him go. Her expression was trance-like as a hand floated up to touch her cheek. She blindly reached for the door handle and, of course, tripped through the doorway on her way in. Shutting the door behind her, Robyn groaned and hoped nobody saw that. 

***** 

    "Cye, stay awake," Kento told him. "I don't want you to crash before I can get home."     Cye mumbled from behind the wheel of his mother's car and did his best to keep his eyes open. The night had completely wiped him out and all he could think about was going home and getting into bed. It took longer than they had both thought to drop off their dates at home. The traffic was bad with the dance now over and each of the girls lived far out of the way in separate parts of the city. Cye couldn't remember the last time he had been up this late. He, too, hoped that he wouldn't fall asleep behind the wheel before he made it home.     "Here's my street," Kento reminded him. "I don't want you to miss it."     "I see it," Cye muttered.     Cye could see the green street sign reflected in his headlights as they drew closer. But what he saw next made his blood run cold. Next to the sign stood a figure so black the night seemed to swallow it up. It was humanoid in form; raw flesh wrapped in black cloth with the limbs hanging to its grotesque body by threads.     Of course, if it could speak, the two would never have been able to hear it. But an unspoken voice seemed to reverberate in their ears. _I'm still here..._     The thing watched with glowing red eyes as the car continued to drive right past Kento's street. Cye's knuckles were white on the wheel and it took all his strength just to keep his foot on the gas pedal. His eyes were wide as he watched the road in shock.     "I'm not going down that street," he whispered.     Kento, who shared his friend's wide-eyed expression, only nodded. They ended up at the only other place they knew to go - Cye's house. Warily watching the street corners all the way, they didn't see anything else before they got there. But Cye was surprised to see another car parked out in front of his house.     Cye and Kento got out and carefully made their way to the other vehicle. Cye opened the door to find Sage sitting there. "Sage? What are you doing here?"     Sage jumped out of the car and practically tackled Cye down. His face was more pale than usual. "Cye, tell me we beat that thing," Sage pleaded. "It's gone now! We got rid of it! It can't come back!"     "You saw it, too?" Kento exclaimed.     Sage swallowed as he continued a bit calmer now. "I - I saw it by the roadside on my way home. I didn't know where else to go but back here."     Cye was about to reply when the screeching of tires filled the air and a speeding car raced up to the house. Ryo jumped out before the vehicle could even lurch to a hasty stop. Rowen quickly killed the engine and then ran after him. Everyone was still wearing their tuxedos. "What the heck is going on here?!" Rowen demanded.     "You guys all saw it, too?" Ryo asked at the same time.     The others nodded.     "What about Robyn?" Ryo asked again. "Is she okay? Has she seen it?"     "We all just barely got here," Kento replied. "We haven't gone in the house yet."     "And my mom's going to be asking a LOT of questions if she sees all of you out here," Cye worried. "Come on, guys, we'll all have to sneak upstairs. Hopefully she's asleep by now."     The five Ronins crept into the house with Cye in the lead. The kitchen light was on but no one seemed to be up and about. Cye directed everyone else up the stairs before heading up himself.     "Cye." He spun around when he heard his mom say his name. Luckily, she didn't seem to notice the others before they could get out of sight. "I thought I heard you come in. Did you have a good time?" "Yeah, Mom." Cye tried to sound casual. "But I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to bed now." "Okay, good night," Mrs. Mouri replied as she turned off the lights and headed to bed. Cye breathed out in relief and then hurried up the stairs. He found the others in Robyn's bedroom. But Robyn wasn't there. "Robyn's gone," Kento stated the obvious as he looked at the open window.     "She just left??" Cye sputtered.     "Well, there's no evidence of a kidnapping, if that's what you're thinking," Sage offered.     Cye paced around the room, running his fingers agitatedly through his hair. "But why? Why would she leave and where did she go?"     "She must know that thing is back, too," Ryo concluded.     "Do you think she went to go fight it?" Rowen wondered.     "But where would she go?" Kento asked. "I mean, the docks were wiped out by the Inferno. There's no way she'd go back there."     "There's got to be something we're forgetting," Rowen stated. "Something this thing is connected to that we've overlooked."     "And just what is that, Rowen?" Kento demanded. "Robyn's the one who knows about this stuff, not us. She's the only one who knows what it is. She's probably seen this thing before, we haven't."     There was a small span of silence before Cye spoke up. "I have."     "You what?" Kento asked.     "I've seen it before," Cye replied quietly. "Several different times, in fact." He had everyone's attention now as they all listened carefully. Cye's gaze became unfocused as he remembered. "When I was little, in my old house. I could always feel something watching me. And sometimes I would see it - in the doorway, down the hall, in a mirror. Always just a glance of it. I keep telling myself I just dreamed it up, but I was fooling myself. I know that it was real because Robyn saw it, too. She was the one that protected me from it. When I was scared she promised me she would never let it hurt me. And before we moved she said it couldn't hurt me because it-" Cye suddenly gasped.     "What is it?" Ryo asked.     "I know where she is," he breathed. Cye wasted no time in dashing out the door; nor did the others in following him. 

***** 

    Robyn walked slowly down the dark, unlit street. She was dressed in regular clothes though her hair was still done up from the dance. Her heart was beating hard enough to burst from her chest. Long ago she had promised herself she would never come down this street again. She still feared it, even now. Feared it so much she would run away from two of her friends just to get away from it.     But tonight, the fear had to be put aside. There was no room for cowardice now. She had to do this or forever live with the hurt and fear brought on by this place. Her footsteps felt heavier as her destination came in sight. But she pressed on until she was standing right in front of it. It was a bent, dilapidated old house, greyish and tired looking. Some of the windows were broken. The paint was peeling and the frame was rusted. It loomed over her like a foreboding omen.     Robyn clenched the gasoline canister she held tighter as she walked through the wild weeds growing up through the sidewalk to the door. She hastily splashed gasoline all over the front of the house. When the canister was empty, Robyn reached for the lighter in her pocket.     Crouched, shaking by the steps, she attempted to ignite it. But all she received was empty clicks as the lighter refused to flame. Robyn growled in frustration as she worked it again and again. It was brand new, there was no reason why it shouldn't work.     She was finally able to get a flame, but a gust of wind came out of nowhere and snuffed it out. Robyn tried again. This time, the flame made it to the gasoline-soaked wall, but it wouldn't light. Try as she might, she couldn't get the house to start on fire. "Burn, you stupid thing," she growled at it.     Robyn fell over and scrambled away from the house when she heard an eerie laughter echo through it. She could feel its presence now, thick as the darkness around her. An unspoken promise seemed to reach her ears as she stared in fear at the house towering over her.     _You can't get rid of me. No matter where you go, I'll still be here waiting. Your friends, everyone you care about will come to know me. You can't stop me._     Robyn rose to her feet, wide-eyed as she heard the voices of her past somehow echoing in her ears. She heard their voices coming from the house - everything she had heard there. The yelling and the screaming, the insults, the threats. Her own cries of pain and fear - even her quiet sobbing in the dead of night when no one was awake to hear. It all replayed itself back to her and for a moment, Robyn felt overwhelmed with it all.     But then she realized how old it had become and she was tired of it. Clenching her fists, anger replaced the fear that once filled her heart. Didn't she deserve a normal life? Didn't she deserve to be happy? Just once, couldn't she be left alone? Robyn felt the tears of frustration and rage sting her eyes. She walked down the sidewalk and, picking up a large rock, threw it as hard as she could at the old house. The shattering of a broken window did little to appease the emotions boiling inside, but she did it again. And again and again. Letting her rage fly with each object she hurled it.     "Burn, you damned house!" she screamed at it. "Why won't you burn!? Go back to hell where you came from!" The last throw took all her energy and she sank to her knees, crying and pounding weakly on the cracked walkway. "Go away. Don't hurt my friends anymore," she choked out, her throat tight from sobbing.     Her body shuddered as she wrapped her arms around herself. It was so cold and she felt so helpless. There was nothing she could do.     Through her misery, she was vaguely aware of the warm, gentle arms wrapping around her. Robyn didn't have to look up to know who it was. She leaned into the embrace and just let herself be held.     "That's it, huh?" Kento asked as he looked the house over.     Cye nodded from where he was crouched and holding Robyn. Sage stood next to Kento. Just looking at the thing was giving him the creeps. He could feel the dark energy practically oozing from the house. "So what do we do now?" he asked quietly.     Rowen walked closer than the others and picked up the discarded lighter. "Robyn had the right idea," he said. "Fire is the only way to get rid of it. Here, Ryo, you could do it better than any of us."     Ryo took the small object and nodded. As he approached the house, the bearer of Wildfire could actually feel the resistance coming from it. It felt thick and forbidding, and yet... afraid? Ryo flicked the lighter; it caught flame the first time. A breeze rose up as if trying to put out the fire, but Ryo would have none of that. The flame was strong with him; they understood each other. Ryo pressed it to the house and it burned immediately.     Cye helped Robyn to her feet and they all stepped back as the house was swallowed in flames. From somewhere within, above the snapping and crackling of the small inferno, one could almost hear a cry of defeat rising up with the smoke.     They all stood together and watched as Robyn's childhood house burned down. But Robyn didn't feel any regret. It was never home to her. She looked at the five young men standing around her. The light of the fire reflected on their faces as they watched it burn. Of all the bad things that had happened to her, they made up for it all. They must have been heaven-sent, there was no other explanation Robyn had for them. Five angels of mercy had appeared out of no where and blessed her life. Because of them she could now live a peaceful, happy life. At last, it was over. 

The End

Author's Notes: Well, that's it for me. A big thanks to everyone who stuck with me until the end. I'm really proud of this fic. It's still one of the most successful ones I've ever written in my whole fanfic career. Thanks to everyone for all the comments. Especially Dixxy who was with me reviewing this story clear back in 2001 when I first started writing it. You're great. Anyone interrested in seeing my original author's notes on this fic or some really old fan art based on it can find all that at the URL in my author settings. Thanks guys! You rock ^.^ 


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